Opposites Attract
by snivellusandlily
Summary: Neville and Luna  literally  bump into each other in a hallway at Hogwarts. Thanks to a certain Mimbulus Mimbletonia, true love is fostered, but can it withstand the forces seemingly determined in pulling them apart?
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything HP, sadly.**

**A/N: Second fanfiction of mine, I tend to lean towards writing stories about non-canon pairings, so if you would like to see anything else, please message me about it or put it in a review for this story! Much love :)**

Neville was walking along the corridor, mesmerized by the _Mimbulus Mimbletonia_ in his hands, muttering as he prodded it with his wand. He was so focused on the plant that he didn't notice the girl sitting in the middle of the corridor, staring dreamily off into space, until he tripped over her and landed flat on his face, though his _Mimbulus Mimbletonia_ came to no harm as he tightly hugged it to his chest to protect it.

"OW! Oh hey there Luna, what are you doing sitting on the floor?" He commented absentmindedly as he sat up and inspected his baby. When he saw that the _Mimbulus Mimbletonia_ was alright, he scooted closer to Luna and gave her his attention.

"Hello Neville. I was trying to stay still so that the Wrackspurts wouldn't see me" Luna said timidly as she removed her Spectrespecs from her face. "I'm sorry I made you fall over." The faintest tinges of red appeared on the smooth milky-white skin of her face as she was all too aware of how close they were sitting next to each other, basking in the friendly warmth radiating off him. Just being with him gave her a sense of security, and she felt like nothing in the world could harm her.

"That's alright. Look at how much my _Mimbulus Mimbletonia_ has grown! I have a new trick up my sleeve, let me show you…" He began prodding the poor plant again, which seemed to be gradually swelling until SPLAT! The two of them found themselves splattered with this thick, yellow pus that smelled like rancid manure. They sat there as if frozen, looking at each other in shock, until a giggle escaped from Luna when she saw Neville's look of disbelief. The sound became Neville's undoing and the two of them started laughing like maniacs in the middle of the corridor.

"That – was – a marvelous – trick!" gasped Luna as she tried to compose herself. Neville spluttered at that and just continued to roll on the floor, unable to speak as yet another bout of laughter overcame him.

At long last, the echoing laughter died down as the two of them ran out of energy. Wiping the tears from his eyes, Neville looked at Luna with this lop-sided grin that caused her heart to skip a beat.

"Just look at the two of us! We'd better clean up before Filch arrives. Here, let me help you up." Sticking his wand back into his pocket and cradling the _Mimbulus Mimbletonia_ in one hand, Neville clumsily got up and offered her his other. The blush on her face, which had turned red from laughing, became a little more prominent but he did not seem to notice; her petite hands were clasped in his large ones and he pulled her to her feet. Hogwarts students started streaming into the corridor and she reluctantly let go of his hand, as an ice cold breeze replaced the tingling feeling where he had held her. After using a simple cleansing spell to clear up the goop (which Luna took care of, as Neville insisted that he would simply make things worse), they walked side by side, following the crowd that seemed to be headed in the general direction of the Great Hall.

"Looks like its lunch time. I wonder if there's pudding?" She looked up at Neville, waiting for him to give her an answer, but, once again, the boy only had eyes for his plant. Sighing, she headed off to lunch herself, but no amount of pudding could take her mind off of a certain dark-haired clumsy Gryffindor.

**Note: I was planning on making this a one-shot but decided to give a chapter-ed story a try 'cause I just love this pairing too much. I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! This is kind of a scary experience for me and I hope I won't let any readers down...**

**P.S. I realize that this story has started off pretty slowly in this first chapter 'cause I wanted to properly set it off so please bear with me. I have 15 chapters up already (wow! I swear this story has a life of its own), loads of drama and action and FLUFF between characters so..yeah…have fun reading! :) Please leave a review, it'll make me really really happy. And suggestions for the story are welcome too!**


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything HP, sadly.**

**A/N: Second fanfiction of mine, I tend to lean towards writing stories about non-canon pairings, so if you would like to see anything else, please message me about it or put it in a review for this story! Much love :)**

Luna sat at the Ravenclaw table all alone, staring at her pudding, and was unconsciously stabbing at it with her fork. She didn't see that over at the Gryffindor table, Ginny had noticed this, and was frowning at how it was not like the usually bright and inquisitive Luna to look so dejected.

Ginny walked over and poked the blonde Ravenclaw. "Hey Luna! Why're you trying to kill your pudding? What's with all this sadness?" she asked as she plopped down in the empty seat beside her friend.

Luna, having been startled from her trance, dropped her fork as she looked to see who was addressing her. "Oh hello Ginny. I was just – " Feeling embarrassed, she bent down to pick up the fork, giving herself time to think of an appropriate response before emerging. Deciding that it was best to just act as if she didn't know what Ginny was talking about, she assembled the sunniest smile on her face possible and came out from under the table. "I wasn't sad! Oh no, no, I was just tired!" She placed the fork back on the table and beamed at Ginny until all the muscles on her face were aching from the effort to appear happy.

Smart as she was, Ginny was not fooled by Luna's pretence and pulled her by the elbow (earning another startled "OH!" from Luna), leading her away from the noisy Ravenclaw table and out of the Great Hall.

Once they had reached the peace and quiet of a deserted corridor, Ginny whirled around and confronted Luna, immediately bombarding her with a heap of questions.

"Well? What's the problem? Are you sick? Is your family in trouble? Tell me please, Luna, I want to able to help you…"

"No, no, it's none of those things. It's rather silly in fact – " She stopped herself before she could say more, afraid that her friend would simply laugh at her when she learnt of what had been going through her mind. An awkward silence followed, in which Luna's gaze wondered over anything and everything _except _for Ginny's piercing brown eyes. Ginny watched her friend squirm uncomfortably under her painful scrutinizing for a few moments, before the issue dawned upon her and she suddenly exclaimed:

"Oh my god! I know what it is! You're in love Luna!"

"_Ginny!_ Shhh…Keep your voice down…what…how…?"

"Oh just admit it Luna, its Neville right?" When she said his name, Ginny stared at Luna unblinkingly, looking out for tell-tale signs that would confirm her suspicions.

Luna finally gave in. But before she could even say "Ye-" Ginny went "I knew it! HA! Oh my god this is wonderful Luna. Have you told him about how you feel?" unable to wipe that smug grin off her face, her excitement of learning of her friend's crush was literally bubbling out of her.

"Yes, you're right, it is Neville. And no, I don't plan on telling him either. Everyone thinks I'm weird, but that's quite alright with me. It will probably make him uncomfortable if I confess…"

"Oh Luna, no one thinks you're weird. And I'm sure Neville will be delighted if you told him! Just be selfish for once and do what you want, instead of what you think would be best for others!"

"There's no need to comfort me Ginny. I know that people talk behind my back, and I'm quite happy the way I am right now. Thanks for being such a great friend, but I really am all right…" and with a quick hug and a small smile, Luna skipped back to the Ravenclaw common room before Ginny could stop her.

Ginny just stood there watching her go, her brain already whirring with ideas and plans to help her friend.

_Meanwhile…_

Neville had watched as Ginny approached Luna, who had been sitting alone at the Ravenclaw table. The way her waist-long flaming red hair moved, emitting confidence and beauty with every swish; he just couldn't stop staring. He gaze did not drop as he saw Ginny say something to Luna, after which Luna ducked out of sight under the table, until she was pulled by the elbow out of the Great Hall. Neville sighed as he watched his crush leave, wishing that she could have lingered a little longer. His eyes were still so fixated on the spot where Ginny had disappeared that he didn't even notice when the steak he had been working on fell to his lap. Seeming to have made up his mind about something, he abruptly stood up, and the poor steak fell to the floor with a squishing sound. As he turned to walk out of the Great Hall, he accidentally stepped on the steak he had dropped on the floor, causing him to slip and fall with a loud "THUD", as smirks and the whispers of mocking laughter surrounded him. Face flaming, he got up, dusted himself off, thanked God for waiting for his crush to leave before putting him through such humiliation, and headed in the same direction as the girls had.

Not knowing where they had gone, Neville wandered aimlessly for a while, until he walked right into something that felt soft and smelled of lavender. "Oh my I'm terribly sorry – hi Ginny!" His eyes lit up and his voice went up a few octaves as he recognized the very same flaming red hair he was admiring not too long ago. He nervously cleared his throat and said again, in a deliberately deep and "manly" sounding voice: "Hiya Ginny!" Ginny, who had been deep in thought, almost toppled over from the impact of the crash but not before Neville reached out and steadied her.

"Neville! Fancy seeing you here…"

Panicking a little, Neville desperately tried to think of a reason as to why he was there at the exact same time as she was. "Uh..um..I was just walking, you know, after a big meal…I definitely wasn't stalking you or anything creepy like that! Ha, ha, ha…" Neville smiled weakly at Ginny. Ginny looked at him with a confused expression, but decided to ignore his last comment. After all, she was already used to the weird things that Neville said, and they rarely made any sense. Thinking that this would be a great chance to see how he felt about Luna, she asked "So…are you headed back to the common room?"

As soon as he opened his mouth to say "yeah" Ginny immediately continued with "Great! Let's walk back together!" And with that, the two of them started walking towards the staircase.

As they were climbing up the stairs, Ginny prompted Neville by saying: "You know, I was just talking to Luna just now, and she seemed quite upset about something…Have you noticed anything? I mean, about Luna acting stranger than usual around you, perhaps...?"

After several moments of silence, she looked over her shoulder at Neville and caught him staring at her. "Neville! Did you hear a word I just said?" Angry that he was not giving her the attention she needed, she stopped walking and crossed her arms as a flustered Neville tried to remember what she was talking about "Uh…someone was..erm…upset…?"

"YES!" She practically shouted. Neville cringed. "I was talking about Luna and how she seemed a bit under the weather these days…"

"Oh was she?" Neville wasn't really concentrating on what she was saying. Instead, his eyes were focused the pink fullness of her lips…Yanking himself back to reality with difficulty, he started walking again as he replied "I just talked to her earlier today and she seemed perfectly all right…" Not looking at where he was stepping, his foot suddenly sank into the trick step that he never remembered to skip and, for the second time that day, he fell flat on his face.

"OUCH! Not again…" he mumbled into the floor as he tried pushing himself off the floor; he felt his face grow hot as he wondered what Ginny thought of him and his klutziness.

However, when he finally managed to look up, there was no trace of the Weasley girl anymore, and all he heard was a huff that distinctly sounded like "Boys!"

He sighed. Clearly, Ginny Weasley was not going to easily forgive him this time.

**Note: I apologize for the lack of drama; I'm trying to build up a bit of background to the story first. I hope it wasn't too boring and that you guys a least got a bit of a laugh from clumsy Neville (a little, teensy tiny bit? Not even a little? Oh nevermind)… let me know what you thought of this chapter!**


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything HP, sadly.**

**A/N: Second fanfiction of mine, I tend to lean towards writing stories about non-canon pairings, so if you would like to see anything else, please message me about it or put it in a review for this story! Much love :)**

**I've also been receiving quite a bit of positive feedback (more than I expected anyway) and I really want to thank everyone who took the time to read my stories. These means a great deal to me, so…Enjoy!**

These days, all that Neville saw, heard and breathed was Ginny and nothing he did could get his mind off her. It was another warm afternoon and Neville watched as Ginny swooped in the air, so blithely graceful on her broom and thought: _how it is that she is always able to be at ease with whatever she does; to look so perfect?_ He was hypnotized by the red hair flying behind the girl that could do no wrong, until he heard this small voice behind him.

"Hello Neville" it said.

He sighed, allowing himself one last glance at the stunning elegance with which Ginny twirled through the air before turning around to see who it was. Luna was standing behind him with a small smile.

"What are you doing indoors on such a nice day?" she asked.

"Oh Luna, you know me. I have difficulty taking two steps without tripping over my own feet; I reckon it's safer for me inside. Everyone else outside is playing Quidditch anyway, and I wouldn't trust myself on a broom."

Luna giggled, at both the sound of his voice saying her name out loud as well as the memory of what Harry and the other Gryffindors had told her about the only time Neville had ever ridden a broomstick; let's just say it wasn't a pretty scene. Neville, thinking about the same thing, chuckled in a good natured way too.

"Well, if you don't feel like joining the others, would you like to take a walk to the lake with me? I brought some leftovers from the kitchen to feed the Giant Squid with." She raised her eyebrows suggestively at him, hoping with all her heart that he would say yes. After nights of tossing and turning in her bed, she had decided to take part of Ginny's advice. Though she did not have the courage to tell him about her feelings yet, she still wanted to try to get to spend more time with him. Even if it was just as friends.

Looking over his shoulder to steal a glance at the red-haired beauty once more, Neville nodded. "Sure, that sounds cool. Better than staying here all alone anyway." He gave her the lop-sided grin that had always managed to make her heart flutter and started walking out the front door. Luna wanted to jump with joy, but feeling that it might alarm him, forced herself to take a deep breath and contented herself with skipping alongside Neville's large strides.

The two of them sat at the edge of the Lake for a larger part of the afternoon, enjoying the coolness as they dipped their feet in the water and trying to take up as much of the sun's last rays as possible. Luna felt completely carefree when she was with Neville, and even when they shared a silence it was companionable, not awkward, as most people usually felt around her. Not that she really minded what others thought of her, but with Neville she felt normal for once and it was nice to be able to be herself knowing that she would be accepted by her friend no matter what. Neville too was enjoying the presence of Luna at his side, perhaps because they both knew what it is like to be an outcast amongst the other students. She seemed to be able to fill a hole in his heart which had so often been occupied by loneliness from the constant isolation.

They lay side by side on the grass, lazily flicking leftovers into the lake, watching as slimy tentacles broke through the surface of the water to accept their offerings. The sky was absolutely stunning, a mixture of pink and orange and a tinge of purple. Luna rolled over onto her stomach, placed a bit of leftover onto her hand and reached out towards the lake. Once again, the tentacle appeared, curling around the food in her hand, sucking at it lightly causing her to squeal and break into peals of laughter. Neville rolled over as well and copied her, feeling the tickle of the tentacles, laughing with her. As the sky got darker, Luna reluctantly stood up and brushed herself off. "We'd better head back to the castle; I expect it'll be dinner time soon. Mmmmm I'm starving. All we've done is feed the Squid without filling our own stomachs first!"

Neville saw the way her silvery eyes sparkled at the mention of food, and thought: _it's hard to find a girl like Luna around anymore; one that is not annoying and loud like so many others. More importantly, she never judges me and it's so easy to be around her despite her eccentricity. Oh, what am I saying..uh I mean, THINKING…She's nothing compared to Ginny._ Smiling to himself as the girl of his dreams appeared in his mind's eye again, he followed his friend back into the castle.

Walking side by side towards the Great Hall, they met Ginny and the trio who were headed for dinner as well. Ginny, seeing the two of them together, was delighted, and her face lit up with a wide smile. Eyeing the way they walked close to each other as the two of them joined the group of Gryffindors, she asked "So…what did you guys do today?" She risked a wink towards Luna, jiggling her eyebrows at her, and grinned when she saw her friend blush furiously. Hermione, living up to her title as the brightest witch of her age, immediately caught on to what Ginny was hinting at and smiled at Luna. It would be nice for her to find someone to be with, she thought. Harry and Ron just stared at the weird reactions of the girls, looked at each other in confusion, and shrugged. Girls are so hard to understand.

Ginny was still looking at the two of them, and, following her gaze, Neville unconsciously took a step away from Luna, immediately sounding defensive as he said "Oh, uh, we were just by the lake, spending some time together…um, as classmates, you know, seeing as the rest of you were too busy to accompany me." The happiness of the moment they had shared together was waved aside, and the once cheerful atmosphere that surrounded the two of them was strained. He fidgeted with his tie, which suddenly seemed to have a strangling hold around his neck as he prayed that Ginny did not misunderstand the nature of his relationship with Luna.

The smile that had been on Luna's face faltered and all the warmth she experienced previously was replaced by this sickening hollowness. She didn't even notice when Neville barely spared her a glance, just mumbling a non-committal "see you, Luna" as he walked behind the rest of the Gryffindors into the Great Hall, leaving her alone. All alone. The echoing taunt of his words - "as classmates" - was booming in her ears over and over again, deafening her, and she pressed her hands to her ears as if that could block out the sound. Closing her eyes, she tried to keep in the tears that threatened to fall. _He didn't even consider her as a friend._ This thought tore at her heart and she sank to the floor when her legs gave away, instinctively being drawn towards her chest as she curled up, protecting herself from further harm.

Ginny stopped in her tracks at the entrance of the Great Hall when she realized that Luna hadn't followed the rest of them in, and was shocked to find her friend lying in a fetal position on the cold marble floor. She immediately rushed to her side, resting a hand on her shoulder, feeling the tremors travel up her arm as Luna's body shook with the effort to contain her tears. The other Hogwarts students walking towards the Great Hall saw the body lying on the floor, and most approached with concern to see what was happening. When they saw that it was only Luna, some of them rolled their eyes dramatically, mumbling "not that weirdo again" whilst those that were more curious simply stood and gawked. Ginny was enraged by the way people were acting and turned to glare at those who stood staring, her brown eyes burning fiery red. Seeing the petrifying glower that was thrown in their direction, the other students left hurriedly, but the sound of muffled laughter was apparent and seemed to linger in the air. Expression softening, Ginny focused her gaze on Luna once more, and saw that the poor girl was no longer shaking, but she wasn't doing anything else either. Panicking slightly, she lifted Luna up and held the lifeless form in her arms. Rubbing small circles on her back and patting her dirty blonde hair, she crooned softly, hoping to bring a bit of life back to the girl.

Eyebrows knotted together with worry, one thought kept coming back to pester her: _How on earth was she going to bring her distraught friend and Neville together?_ That inconsiderate fool. He had better watch his step (_har har like that would stop him from tripping over his own feet several times a day _she thought nastily; there was no room in her heart to be sympathetic towards buffoons who broke her friend's heart) 'cause Ginny was not going to let him go so easily, not after the way he treated dear Luna. She planned on giving him a piece of her mind, but right now her friend needed her by her side. She decided that, right after comforting her friend and settling her safely in bed, she was going to seek that blundering idiot out. He was in great need of a good scolding to make him take notice of this wonderful girl in front of him.

**Note: So, this is the third chapter with a bit more drama and a tiny development in the relationship between Neville and Luna, which was immediately ruined by Neville (of course. Boys can be so thoughtless. sigh.) Again, please tell me what you guys think! Tell me if you want things to happen a bit faster 'cause I'm scared that I'm pulling out this 'rising action' too much. And, to those of you who read to the end of this page, thanks for reading this chapter! :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything HP.**

**Hope you guys are enjoying the story so far, trying to keep it shorter so you won't be bored but my hands won't let me. I'm sorry :\**

**P.S. a poll (should be) posted to my profile now and it would be great if you could take a bit of time to choose your favourite ships so I know what you guys want to see in my stories! :D**

"Stop right there Neville Longbottom!" A very disgruntled Ginny stood with her arms crossed, nostrils flaring. She had just spent the night by Luna's side, making sure she didn't do anything stupid. It worried her to see her friend acting this way. Luna had been tortured, hurt, and confined in the dark for a long period of time during the second war. She had stood up to the Carrows and led the other students in the rebellion against the infiltration of Death Eaters at Hogwarts, not even flinching at the fact that it had put herself in danger. She had fought bravely in the Battle of Hogwarts, and, even when people she cared for died one by one, she never gave up on the quest of creating a better world without fear and suffering. Never before had she withdrawn into herself, choosing to focus her efforts on comforting those that were grieving instead. In other words, Luna was one of the most courageous people she knew and Ginny had never, ever seen her friend break down like this. It was as if something had snapped within her and there seemed to be no way to repair the damage.

Neville froze at the sound of his name, heart lifting before he registered the anger in her voice. As he tentatively turned around, he wondered what he had done wrong this time as he knew from past experience that being called by his full name never bode well. "Y-y-yeah?" he stuttered.

Ginny snorted at his pathetic response. It seemed that any confidence he gained from the war disappeared as soon as things started returning to normal. She got straight to the point. "Don't you _yeah_ me! Do you have any idea how much you've hurt Luna? What do you have to say for yourself!"

"Hurt Luna? What are you talking about…?"

The confusion written all over his face was too much for Ginny. He watched with alarm as her face turned redder and redder, until it became the same shade as her hair. _Uh oh._ He started backing away from her but wasn't fast enough. Wincing, he raised his arms up like a shield, bracing himself for what he was sure was about to come. He wished with all his might that the ground would open up to swallow him.

"'?" The words exploded out of her mouth in a heap. Neville's jaw dropped as he tried to make sense of what she was saying. She, however, simply exhaled deeply, feeling better now that she had relieved herself of some of the fury that had been churning at the bottom of her stomach. She glanced up and suddenly noticed the crowd of students that had stopped in the hallways, looking at the scene before them with interest. Ignoring them, she took a step towards him. He let out a squeak, taking a step back but she grabbed him by the ear, pulling him into an empty classroom.

Once she made sure that the door was securely closed and had placed a silencing charm on it, she leaned in and whispered furiously. "You'd better go and apologize to Luna and make sure she is happy once more before coming into my line of vision again."

"B-but I still don't know what it is I'm meant to have done to hurt her!"

Ginny growled with frustration (Neville raised his arms up once more, scared that she would hit him). Enough was enough. She had to tell Neville about Luna's feelings towards him, sure that the idiot would never be able to put two and two together. Whispering again, she said "Luna fancies you, stupid!"

Whatever Neville had been expecting, it wasn't that. Before he knew what was happening, he heard someone say "But I like YOU." Eyes widening at the realization that those words had come from his own mouth, he froze, not daring to look up at Ginny's reaction. The damage was done.

"WHAT!" Ginny shrieked. This time, it was her turn to stutter. "B-But I – but – you – You've got to be kidding me!"

When Neville didn't say anything, she instinctively took a step away from him. "No – no, that's not true. Open your eyes Neville! Can't you see that Luna is the one for you?"

An unexpected wave of fury flooded his senses. "No! YOU open your eyes! I like you Ginny, and have done so for quite a long while too! Why can't YOU see that I'm the one for you? I know I'm not like the other boys you date. I'm clumsy and I'm not good looking and everyone calls me stupid. That's why you won't accept me right? Fine! But don't expect me to fall in love with _Looney Lovegood_ just 'cause you think I'm not worthy of you!" he sneered. He had experienced the pain of rejection one too many times, and this feeling overwhelmed him. He was fed up with being isolated and neglected, to be looked down upon by everyone. It was as if the self-defence mechanism within him had been triggered and he felt the need to be horrible in order to protect himself.

SMACK. The two of them stood in shocked silence, and his hand cupped his cheek where she had slapped him. The skin under his hand was burning hot, and a red hand-shaped mark was clearly visible. Ginny's hand was still outstretched, stinging with pain after coming in contact with his face. She regained her composure, wiping her face of emotion. "Yes. I would never, ever date someone like YOU Neville. I was wrong, you don't deserve Luna" Her voice was so cold it left a chill in the room. She turned her heel and left, slamming the door behind her.

Neville didn't even realize that he was crying until he felt a tear roll down the hand that was still pressed to the side of his face. Hastily wiping his face, he too left the room.

That night, three students were finding it very hard to fall asleep.

Neville had gone up to the boy's dormitory early and lay in bed, mulling over his argument with Ginny. His heart throbbed when the scene played over and over again in his mind. _I would never, ever date someone like YOU, Neville_. He closed his eyes, gasping as a piercing feeling went through his heart. Hatred filled every pore of his body. Luna, smitten towards him? Ha. He would never give her the satisfaction of being in his company anymore, not after causing him to have this fall out with Ginny. Right then, the rest of the boys entered the room, laughing over some prank the twins had played on those poor first-years. Neville immediately rolled over so his back was to the entrance, and forced himself to breath evenly. In, out. In, out. Harry thought that Neville's breathing sounded a little strained but didn't want to bother him about it. After staring at Neville's sleeping form for a moment, he gave himself a mental shake and crawled into his own bed. Soon, the snores of the other boys filled the dormitory, and no one heard one lonely boy breathe out. "_But I loved you so much."_

Over in the girl's dormitory, Ginny lay on her own four-poster bed, staring at the canopy with the curtains drawn around her. She sighed. Maybe she had been a bit too harsh on Neville after all. But he could be so slow sometimes, and she still couldn't forgive him for his thoughtlessness and how much that had cost Luna. Luna was so constantly bullied by the other students that, though she insisted that she was fine with it, Ginny always had the urge to protect her. Reasoning with herself that she had only done this in the interest of her friend, sleep came to claim her, but dreams of Neville shouting did not let her sleep in peace.

Luna had not gotten up from her bed the whole day, and her body was stiff all over. Slowly propping herself up, she decided to go to the window to gaze at the beautiful full moon. She loved the way the silvery moonlight fell onto her silhouette. She remembered her father telling her as a child about the magical properties of the moonlight of a full moon; it was meant to be able to grant her anything she could possibly wish for. She closed her eyes, hands clasped together. _Let him want me the way I want him. Please._ There she sat without moving for the whole night.


	5. Chapter 5

**DISCLAIMER: None of the characters are mine.**

**A/N: Sorry for taking so long, crazy week at school but now it's the holidays so I'll try to update daily. Thanks for putting up with me! This chapter is kind of drabble-y 'cause I'm trying to get to the main parts of the Nuna relationship faster. Enjoy!**

It was Double Charms with Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. Professor Flitwick was teaching them the _Avis_ charm, and soon, the whole room was full of twittering birds of all species. Luna watched with delight as the delicate blue-birds she produced circled her, landing on her shoulder from time to time, rubbing their soft feathers against her cheek.

"Oh, aren't they just wonderful?" She breathed to herself. She gazed dreamily at the birds, not noticing that Professor Flitwick had just asked a question.

"What do you think of that, Miss Lovegood?"

"Mmm?" Luna lifted her head slowly at the mention of her name, her eyes still glazed over.

"I was asking, Miss Lovegood: how is it, do you think, that we are able to produce objects from thin air?"

"Hmm." She paused, clearly deep in thought. Everyone else in the classroom and sighed. _Not Looney again. We'll never be able to leave this classroom if we have to wait for her to answer._ Even Professor Flitwick started to tap his foot unconsciously, waiting for her answer. Finally, she spoke up again. "I think, it's kind of like the way we apparate, only that we are using the spell to help the birds to travel from some faraway place to our classroom. Bumblumps probably move from place to place like this too."

"Excellent! The first part of your explanation was correct; five points to Ravenclaw! As for the part about Bumblumps…well…that was, very entertaining. Thank you for sharing that with us"

With that, Flitwick turned around and walked over to the other side of the classroom to see how the other students were doing. As soon as his back was turned, Neville, who was sitting two tables away, let out a snort of laughter and muttered something under his breath that sounded very much like "Bumblumps my butt!"

Red tinged Luna's face when she heard that, and she turned around to smile at him. "They're very interesting creatures you know. My father has taken photographs of Bumblumps before; I can show them to you sometime. They really are very gentle, though they like to give humans a scare by popping out of the ground without notice. I re-"

"Puh-lease! Just listen to yourself, _Looney Lovegood_" Neville cut her off, jeering. "It's unbelievable, all this rubbish you come up with just to get our attention…"

Dumbfounded, Luna's eyes widened, and the blue-birds she conjures disappeared with a small pop. "I..I…I don't understand what you mean…" Hurt seeped out of every syllable she uttered.

At that moment, the bell rang, signalling the end of class. Not even bothering to answer her, Neville packed his things, stood up and said in a falsely friendly voice "See you around, Luna. No, I take that back. Stay away from me, you freak."

Everyone else filed out of the classroom, leaving Luna all alone. Again. She bit back her tears. _It's okay Luna. Don't cry. You should have known this would happen; haven't you already gotten used to rejection by now? Neville probably didn't mean it anyway. He must be having a bad day._

In the corridor, Luna passed by Ginny on her way to Transfiguration. Ginny caught her by the arm. "Hey Luna, are you feeling better?"

"I'm feeling perfectly fine Ginny, why would you ask that?"

"Oh, you know, you were a bit upset the other day…So! How are things between you and Neville anyway?" She asked awkwardly.

_I shouldn't worry Ginny about trivial things like this. _Luna smiled a reassuring smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Oh, he's been very nice to me. I've got to go to Transfiguration now, Professor McGonagall won't be happy if I'm late…"

Disappointed, Ginny let go of her arm. "Okay then. You know you can turn to me anytime, though, don't you?"

Luna stepped forward and hugged her friend. "Thank you" she whispered in Ginny's ear. With that, she let go of her and skipped off to class, only pausing to turn back and give her a small wave and smile.

Ginny waved back and sighed with relief. It seems that her "little chat" with Neville was useful after all.

Hurrying down the corridor, Luna suddenly crashed into something hard and very painful. "Argh!" It was Neville. Both of them tumbled backwards, landing hard on their backsides. "I'm so-" Neville got up and started to apologize before seeing who it was he had crashed into. His attitude changed immediately. "Oi! What is it with you and crashing into me? Look at what you've done to my books you idiot!"

The pages of Neville's textbooks were scattered all over the floor. Luna immediately got down on her knees and collected all the loose pages, placing them into neat piles before reaching out to hand them back to Neville. "I'm sor-"

"Don't tell me you're sorry." He swatted her arm away, hard. The pages fell to the floor again. "I don't want them anymore, not after having _you_ touch them; your freakishness might be contagious. Didn't I tell you to stay away from me? Why is it that all the unlucky stuff happens to _me_ all the time?" Huffing, he stormed away. Luna grabbed the hand he had hit, pressing it against her chest and trying in vain to stop it from trembling. _Thump thump thump._ How could her heart still beat, she wondered, when it felt like it was no longer whole? She held onto herself so tightly red marks were left where her fingers had been. But, no matter how hard she tried to hold herself together, every part of her was broken inside, shattered into a million pieces from the moment Neville's cold dark eyes looked upon her.

Nevile cursed himself inwardly. It was just his luck that, on the same day, he had both Double Charms ad Double Herbology with Ravenclaws, meaning that he would have to see Luna. Again. They were working with Fanged Geraniums today. After being pushed and shoved by the other Gryffindors, who were fighting to get to the pots holding the smallest Geraniums for fear of being bitten, Neville found himself sharing one with none other than Luna. _Here we go again._ Luna looked over at him, gave him a smile, with a small nod of her head. "Hello, Neville."

Neville ignored her, focusing on his Geranium. All of a sudden, he found Luna launching herself in front of him, knocking him over. "What do you think you-" he started before he registered the red liquid spreading around her pale hair.

Luna lay on the ground unconscious, knocked out by the shovel that had accidentally flown out of Seamus' hand towards Neville when he was trying to tackle the Fanged Geranium. _Neville._ Nothing else crossed her mind except for pushing Neville out of the way. Clunk. The metal side of the shovel hit her on the temple, and leaving her sprawled upon the cold stone floor of the greenhouse. _He's safe._ She closed her eyes knowing this and succumbed to the pain.

"No..NO! Someone, anyone, please help! Luna, Luna wake up…Please…" Neville shook at the lifeless Luna, willing her to sit up and smile at him, assuring him that everything was alright. _Why did she do that for me? After the way I've been treating her…_ He subconsciously lifted his hand to his cheek when he felt something trickling down it. The tips of his fingers came away wet. Something stirred inside of him and he suddenly knelt beside Luna, lifted her up into his arms tenderly, and pushed through the crowd of onlookers.

He ran across the school grounds and into the castle, and every harsh footstep hitting the marble floor seemed to resound with her name. _Clomp clomp clomp. Luna Luna Luna._ Bursting through the doors of the Hospital Wing, he yelled "Madam Pomfrey! Help! Luna's been injured…" His voice cracked. "Help…help…"

Madam Pomfrey finally appeared, taking control of the situation. "Put her on the bed over there, please, Mr Longbottom." She hurried into her office to procure the essence of dittany. Still carrying her, he hugged the girl tightly to his chest, making sure that she was still there, before gently laying her down on the soft covers. He lightly tucked a stray curl behind her ear, tracing his finger along her cheek and jaw line, coming to a rest right under her chin. "I'm sorry." He whispered.

Madam Pomfrey came bustling back into the room, pulling him out of his trance. "Mr Longbottom, I will have to ask you to stand aside whilst I tend to her." Reluctantly, Neville stood to the side so that Madam Pomfrey could examine her would. "Oh dear, this wound is quite deep…" she tsked, the worry evident in her voice.

"You will be able to heal her, right?" His mind was blank with fear. _Please let her be alright. I will do anything, anything at all. Just let her come out of this unharmed._

"Of course I will be able to heal her wound in no time, but she has been hit in the head and may not wake up any time soon. She probably has a concussion, but that is the most I can say on the extent of the damage this hit has on her. You might as well go back and resume your lesson, Mr. Longbottom; there is nothing you can do for her right now."

"But..I…"

"I insist. You may come back during visiting hours tomorrow to see if she has awakened. Now, I need to tend to her and I will be glad if you do not interfere."

Shoulders slumped, Neville left the Hospital Wing. Instead of heading towards the Greenhouses again, he went up the stairs to the common room, throwing himself onto his four-poster bed and drawing the curtains around him. He didn't want to see or talk to anyone. Wave after wave of guilt swept over him. _I'm sorry. So, so sorry._

**Note: Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I haven't updated in so long that my mind was totally blocked so I hope it wasn't too bad. Going to sleep now, I've got a volleyball competition early in the morning. Goodnight! ;)**


	6. Chapter 6

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of these characters.**

**A/N: I know I promised one chapter a day and I really am trying but life is still crazy so…PLEASE FORGIVE ME. I hope you will still stay with me till the end of this story regardless of how much of a jerk I am being right now. :\**

**Also, thankyou Alix Jackson, LoneWolf LUFC, luciangirl06 and especially anonymous reviewer Windy for encouraging me throughout all five chapters! Enjoy!**

Each day, Neville arrived at the hospital wing at 6 o'clock sharp, without fail, to see if Luna's condition had taken a turn for the better. Today was not an exception and he sat by her bedside, holding her hand, talking to her. There was a stack of homework piled on the table next to her, homework that Neville had been helping her keep track of by chasing down all her subject teachers. Knowing that Luna, as a Ravenclaw, would enjoy missing out on lesson time as much as Hermione would, Neville was trying his best to make things easier for her. She had suffered this hit for him, after all.

"Hey, Luna" He said gently, taking her by the hand as he sat down on the chair by her side. "Why is your hand so cold, dear?" Worry was etched all over his face as he started rubbing her hands with his own, trying to warm them up a bit.

"You've got to wake up, Luna. Everyone is so worried for you. Ginny, Hermione, Harry, Ron, and the whole of DA. We all want you back. You don't know how close Gryffindor was to losing that last Quidditch match because we didn't have you in the stands with your roaring lion hat to cheer us on. Please wake up, Luna."

He stared intently at her face, memorizing every feature. From her dirty blonde hair and her long eyelashes to her soft pink lips and high cheekbones. Not a twitch, no sign of a flutter. Even her chest was barely rising and falling, her every breath weak and shallow. If he hadn't asked Madam Pomfrey to check on her every half an hour or so, Neville couldn't have believed that she was still pushing herself out of her coma. He clenched her hand tightly, afraid that if he were to let go, Luna would be lost forever. He was so, so afraid that she would give up on him.

He sighed. It had been two weeks already and she still didn't show any signs of life, of improvement. He held her hand up to his heart, hunching up as if to enclose her within him forever, to protect her from further harm.

"Can you feel it, Luna? Can you feel my heart beat? It is beating for you, Luna. It is beating and beating and waiting and waiting for you to sit up and look at me again, to talk to me, to give it a reason to keep on beating. It needs you, Luna."

He suddenly sat up straight, stunned. What had he just said? _It needs you, Luna_. Realization hit him like a slap across the face. "I need you, Luna." He whispered, and his heart beat faster, as if acknowledging this fact.

_Ten Days Later._

"Hey Luna" came his customary greeting. However, this time, an unfamiliar rustling of plastic could be heard accompanying his voice. He was holding a bunch of sunflowers in his hands, the bright, blinding yellow reminding him of the dress she had worn at Bill and Fleur's wedding. Closing his eyes, he could just see her in the middle of the dance floor once again, her cheerful, bright face shining as she twirled her hands in elegant circles, lost in her own world. The memory of that day made him grin, that lopsided grin that Luna loved so much, though she hadn't had the chance to tell him that yet. It was funny how, though Luna had caught his attention time and time again, he had never truly seen her for the unique, beautiful girl that she was.

Pushing those thoughts out of his head, he turned back to the sleeping girl. "Luna, look at what I've brought for you! Sunflowers, to match the radiant warmth and happiness that you always seem to be able to give to others. Do you like them?"

Of course, silence was the only reply he received. Still, this did nothing to dampen his mood. "I have good news for you too! Can you guess what it is?"

After pausing for a while, as if he really expected her to answer, he ploughed on. "Madam Pomfrey says that you are slowly getting better!" A wide smile stretched across his face, and he just sat there smiling for a few minutes.

"Finally. You're getting better." He said, as if he couldn't quite believe it. "Madam Pomfrey reckons that shovel hit a rather sensitive nerve of yours 'cause head injuries have never had such lasting effects before, especially under her care. Your pulse is strengthening and I can even see some colour coming back to your face. You have no idea how much I've missed that slightly pink tinge of your cheeks." He reached out and lightly stroked her cheek with his finger.

Mentally shaking himself again, he started bustling around; tossing the daises he had placed in the glass flower vase the day before, refilling it with water and sticking the fresh sunflowers in. He took a step back to admire his handiwork. "Perfect" he said with another smile.

He sat down on the same chair he had occupied so many times before he often wondered why he hadn't left an indent in it yet. Taking her hand in both of his own, he started telling her about the daily happenings at Hogwarts and what the rest of the gang were up to.

"Harry, Hermione and Ron came to visit you earlier today. I hope you enjoyed their company. Well, maybe not so much, since Ron and Hermione are bickering over another silly issue again. It's funny to watch them fight when it is obvious that they are very much in love with each other. Harry is spending way too much time with Ginny as usual, and if they don't stop snogging every minute they have together, Ron is going to explode and sock poor Harry in the face. I bet you wouldn't want to miss that scene. No, actually, you'll probably try to talk Ron out of it. You're always like this, so calm and accepting of everyone. So kind and caring and beautiful and perfect-"

He stopped talking. The words were rushing out so quickly his throat was all choked up with them. "You're too perfect to have to be in this condition. It's time to wake up, Luna. You've been sleeping for far too long. Every day I see you like this, my heart breaks a little more inside. Wake up, love."

He leaned over and gently brushed his own lips over hers. Barely a whisper of a kiss. His first kiss, for his true love. "I've finally come to my senses Luna. I finally realize that it has been you that I've been loving all this time, from the moment I met you on the train ride here. Your radish earrings, your dress sense, the way you stick your wand behind your ear for safekeeping. All of these fragments and pieces of you have found their way to my heart, and I can't be without you. If you were to leave, these pieces will go with you, and my heart will simply crumble into nothingness."

"Come back to me Luna. Let me make it up to you. You have no idea how much I regret my attitude towards you before this accident happened, this accident that knocked you out but, at the same time, knocked me to my senses. I guess I was just too afraid to face my own feelings. I'm sorry. I love you, Luna, and I want to hear you say that to me too."

He lay his forehead against hers, ever so gently. Suddenly, he felt something twitch in his hands. He jerked upright, watching as her fingers came to life.

"Luna! Luna! Madam Pomfrey! Come here quick; I think Luna is finally waking up!" Tears were running down his face and he could barely make out the fluttering of her eyelashes as her eyes opened. He jumped up, hovering over Luna as he ran his fingers along her arms, clasping her hands tightly, cupping her cheek. His eyes never left her silver ones, and he just had to make sure she really was alive and well.

Her lips parted ever so slightly. "I love you too, Neville."

Her smile lit up her whole face and Neville laughed with joy. "Oh Luna, Luna. You know – you heard – everything?"

"Everything. How could I miss out on your emotional confession to me, when it took you so long to finally realize your feelings for me? I love you so, so much Neville, more than I have ever loved anyone else."

And with that, Luna reached up and pulled Neville close, bringing his lips onto hers once more. "Mmmm. Did I tell you that you are a great kisser? I want more!"

This bold Luna both surprised and excited Neville, and he blushed, suddenly shy. "Gladly." He leaned in for another kiss, applying a bit of pressure this time, caressing her lips with his, her hands tangled in his soft brown hair. He opened his mouth slightly, inviting her, teasing her, but also testing to see if she was willing to deepen the kiss. His pulse quickened when she lifted her head off the pillow, taking his lead and opening her mouth to devour him passionately, their lips moving against each other in sync.

Luna smiled into the kiss; hardly noticing as a figure, looking suspiciously like Madam Pomfrey, pull herself back out of the doors just in time. Her heart swelled with happiness for the two, having witnessed the undying care and concern Neville had shown towards Luna during all the time she had been in coma. _They probably want some privacy. _She thought. _After almost one whole month of being in coma, a few extra minutes probably won't do much harm._ She tiptoed out of the room, deciding to check on them later.

Neville pulled out of the kiss abruptly, panting, startling Luna who had been enjoying the moment immensely. "Wha – What's wrong?" He detected fear in her voice, and this lack of security she held in his presence was like a knife in his heart.

"No, Luna, relax. I just wanted to tell you to never, ever stand in the way of a flying shovel for me again. I would never forgive myself if anything happened to you." Luna sagged onto the hospital bed in relief. Neville took her face in his, looking right into her bright eyes, a mischievous glint in his own. "And – that you aren't a bad kisser either." Without waiting for her permission, Neville sat onto her bed, lifted her up onto his lap, and leaned in for yet another kiss. _Mmmm. I could get used to this_.

**Note: In case there is some confusion, this story is taking place in their seventh year after the Battle of Hogwarts, when they came back to Hogwarts to continue with their education and to take their N.E.W.T.s. I don't particularly support Ronmione in case you are a great Harmony shipper or something; I'm trying to focus on this Nuna relationship and sticking to the original novel as much as possible for the other details, so bear with me. Thank you for reading this chapter! I hope you enjoyed it ^^**


	7. Chapter 7

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything HP.**

**A/N: Guys, how was the first kiss in the last chapter? Was it good enough? Review if you have any suggestions as to how their relationship should progress, I would love to know what you guys want to see! Enjoy!**

"Hey, careful there. Madam Pomfrey told me not to let you move around too much!" Neville rushed to Luna's side, steadying her as she tried to lean forwards to pack her things into a rucksack. "Here, let me help you." He started to busy himself with putting away her clothes. Luna smiled as she watched him carefully fold her clothes and put them in neat piles. She lightly traced a finger along his eyebrow, which was furrowed in concentration, and giggled.

"Oh Neville. I'm alright now, I'm fine. Really. Let me do this myself." She reached out to take the clothes out of his hands.

"Luna! You were in a coma for a month. A _month_. I can't risk you leaving me again. Just sit down and rest yourself." He took her hands gently in his, lowered her back onto the bed and placed her hands on her lap. "Just let me do this one small thing for you."

"You just said it. I was asleep for one whole month. If I have to rest for a second more I'll go crazy. All this energy in me will just explode." Luna started bouncing up and down on the bed as if to prove it to Neville.

Neville chuckled. "Okay, okay, I surrender. Stop bouncing please, I don't know what I would do if you hurt yourself again. How about you be a good girl, sit down and help me to pack your things into your rucksack whilst I do the moving around and folding and bustling, hmm?"

Luna pouted her small pink lips. "Fine." She stopped bouncing but continued to sulk as she placed her things into the bag.

Neville tried to ignore the look on her face and so they worked in silence for a while. Finally, he couldn't stand it anymore and burst out laughing. "Come on, Luna dear. Don't be angry." He tickled her side, causing her to giggle again and jerk away from him, swatting at his hands.

"Stop it Neville! Stop! S-Ahahahaha. Okay, Okay I'm not angry anymore. Happy now?"

"Yes I'm happy. How can I not be with you by my side?" He beamed at her and sat down beside her. He placed his hands over hers and started rubbing small circles onto the back of her hand with his thumb.

Taking a deep breath, he said "The only reason why I would worry so much is because I love you and I don't want anything to be able to hurt you. I love you, Luna, forever and ever. Y – You are so fragile, beautiful and vulnerable. My heart w - would shatter if you were to fall into another coma."

The anguish in his voice was unexpected, and Luna's face fell. She took her hands out from under his, wrapping her arms around his waist instead, pulling him close and bringing his head to her chest. She rested her chin on his head, stroking his hair. "I'm fine Neville. I won't leave you, ever. I promise to keep myself safe for you. Don't be upset…"

Humming softly, she continued to hold Neville close to her. Neville closed his eyes and the muscles in his shoulders relaxed. Exhaling deeply, wiping the tears that had leaked out of his eyes unawares, he sat up and placed a hand on her cheek. "Thank you."

Smiling, Luna placed her own hand over his. "It's the least I could do for you."

She looked up at him, and found that his eyes were boring into hers. She gasped. His dark brown eyes seemed like an endless black hole of emotions, sucking her in, preventing her from looking away. The tenderness she could see in them caused her heart to skip a beat. Neville started closing the distance between them, and Luna closed her eyes. Their lips met, parted, and met over and over again. Neville wrapped his arms around her slender waist, and Luna found hers subconsciously slung around Neville's neck, drawing him even closer.

"Ahem!" Madam Pomfrey cleared her throat loudly. Neville and Luna sprung apart, jumping up from the bed in alarm. "I see that you are fully healed, Miss Lovegood." Luna blushed furiously and ducked her head, busying herself with the last few items that had been left unpacked. "If you have arranged everything, you may leave the hospital wing. Remember, Mr Longbottom. Miss Lovegood is still very weak, so you must take good care of her. Don't let her do anything rash or move around too much, okay?"

Neville took Luna's hand in his. "Of course, Madam Pomfrey. I will protect her at all costs; she is in good hands, don't worry." Smiling, the two of them walked out of the hospital wing hand in hand.

Neville did not let go of Luna's hand all the way to the Ravenclaw common room. Seeing everyone staring at them as they walked through the corridors, Luna tugged at his hand. "Pssstt." She whispered. "Neville, maybe we shouldn't go around holding hands in the public…"

"Why not?"

"People are staring…and it's not like we are in any special sort of relationship yet…" Luna lowered her head, not daring to look at him.

Neville just stared at her, confusion written all over his face. Suddenly, his eyes widened with realization. "Oh!"

A smile spread across his face at that. His eyes never left Luna as he knelt down in front of her on one knee. "Miss Luna Lovegood, will you please be my girlfriend? Will you allow me to stay by your side, to love you and protect you, no matter what happens?"

Luna looked up. The surprise on her face was evident but it instantly became a look of delight. "Yes. I will be your girlfriend. I will be your girlfriend!" _I can't believe it. He's finally mine. All mine. _Neville stood up with his arms wide open, inviting her in. She immediately responded by leaping into his arms and suffocating him in a stranglehold, her lips pressed against his as he swung her around in joy. _It took me so long to realize that this girl in my arms is all I ever wanted. She's mine, and she's perfect._ He buried his face in her hair as he gently lowered her to the ground.

Suddenly, the whole corridor erupted with wolf-whistles and whoops. "Way to go Neville!" yelled Seamus. The two of them looked up to see a whole crowd of Hogwarts students surrounding them. Luna's face flamed. "Aww that was so sweet!" Lavendar sighed, looking at Neville dreamily. "Yeah, Harry would never have asked me to be his girlfriend in such a romantic way…" Ginny glared at Harry, who looked devastated. Seeing the expression on his face, she chuckled in a good natured way, slapping him on the shoulder playfully.

"See how lucky you are to have me?" whispered Neville in Luna's ear. Luna laughed and elbowed him in the ribs, earning a cry of pain. "I know I am lucky to have you." She kissed him lightly on the cheek. "So lucky."

"Come on, let's get you back to your room to settle down. There has been too much action for you in one day." Neville led the way as the crowd parted to let them through, still clapping for them.

"Here you go love." Neville set Luna on her bed. This was the first time he had entered the Ravenclaw common room, let alone been in a girl's dormitory, and he started to look around in interest. His eyes suddenly fell upon a bra that had been clumsily discarded by one of the other Ravenclaw girls. His face turned red and he quickly averted his gaze. "I – I think I'll leave you to change and freshen up a bit. I'll be down in the common room waiting for you so we can go to dinner together, alright?"

"Sure. I'll see you in a moment." Neville patted her and left the room.

A few minutes later, Luna came skipping down the stairs of the dormitory, hair tied back into a messy ponytail. Neville bounded off the sofa he had been sitting on and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Luna! You shouldn't be skipping like that! What if you lost your footing and slipped? That's too dangerous." He pulled her into an embrace.

Luna, with her face pressed against Neville's chest, said in a muffled voice "Neville, I'm not made of glass, stop worrying so much." However, Neville ignored her, his only response being to wrap his arms around her even tighter. _Mmmm. I never realized that he had so many muscles underneath those loose shirts he likes to wear so much. His chest is so warm and welcoming. It feels like…home. _

**Note: I mainly wanted to have this chapter to certify their relationship with each other. It's not much, but I hope you like it. Thank you for reading! :D**


	8. Chapter 8

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything HP.**

**I am a horrible horrible person for not updating sooner. Please forgive me!**

**A/N: Time to clear things up! There seems to still be a little bit of confusion about my story and I guess it's my fault for not making things clear enough. Neville and Luna are in the same year because the students in Neville's year (aka the seventh year students during the year of the Battle of Hogwarts) came back to retake seventh year after the Second Wizarding War. Also, I know that Neville is a bit OOC and I don't particularly like this new Neville but this is for the sole purpose of writing my story so I hope you guys understand. After the accident he became his old self again, clumsy and shy but incredibly kind, so I hope you guys will forgive him for his nastiness. Thank you for reading my story! Enjoy!**

**P.S. It would be great if you guys could answer the poll on my profile; I want to know which pairings you like best to prepare for my next story. Thanks!**

**P.P.S. HRLKittycat pointed out that in the chapter where Luna got injured I overlooked Ginny since Neville and Luna are in the same classes Ginny should be too. Don't hit me for that! I guess I was too absorbed with Nuna…**

"Hogwarts Hogwarts Hoggy Warty Hogwarts…" Neville sang under his breath as he tended to his _Mimbulus Mimbletonia_. Suddenly, a slender pair of hands were cupped over his eyes. "Guess who?" asked an all too familiar voice.

Neville turned around slowly, with her arms still encircling him. "Hey, Luna dear." He wrapped his arms around her. "Wait for a moment. I'll clean up my baby a bit and then I'll come with you."

"Your baby?" Luna crinkled her cute little nose. "You love your _Mimbulus Mimbletonia_ more then you love me Neville. If you carry on like this I'll get jealous you know." Neville chuckled and tapped her lightly on her nose, tracing a finger along it to smoothen out the lines that appeared from her scrunching up her nose.

"You know I love you. Now come on, let's go on that date I promised you in celebration of you finally getting all better." Luna's face lit up and, tugging at Neville's arm, she skipped out of the room.

As they went down the hallway, Luna suddenly realized that she didn't know where it was that they were supposed to go. "Where are we going Neville? Silly me, I forgot to ask you before going off by myself like that."

"It's a secret" smirked Neville. His eyes were dancing as he anticipated Luna's reaction when she found out where they were going to have their date. "Close you eyes now, and no peeking! Now, follow me slowly."

With one hand on her arm, he led the way carefully through countless corridors and stairwells. "Neville, are we there yet!" Luna was practically jumping with excitement, and she could feel it radiating off Neville too; he was obviously very pleased with what he had planned, so it must be something good. Finally, she heard a set of doors click open and Neville tapped her lightly on the shoulder. "Open your eyes now, love."

She opened her eyes and had barely registered the darkness when light suddenly flooded this unfamiliar room and happy voices blasted all around her. "Surprise, Luna!" Her eyes flew open and she stared at the scene before her. Practically everyone in her year was gathered in this room, all smiling at her and Neville, and a large banner enchanted with a picture of Luna dancing had the words "Welcome Back Luna!" written across it. Luna recognized it as Neville's handwriting and beamed. He went to all that trouble, just for her?

"WOOT WOOT!" Seamus and Dean punched their fists in the air. "Nice catch, Neville, I never thought you would be able to do it." They nudged and slapped him playfully on the shoulder, eyeing Luna with appreciation. She was wearing a sleek purple dress that accentuated the curves that she had developed over the years. Her eyes followed their gaze and she blushed. This was not her usual style, but Neville had bought the dress for her especially for this occasion and though she was slightly uncomfortable, she still loved how pretty it made her look so she had agreed to wear it grudgingly. "Aww all this romantic stuff…one look from those gooey eyes Luna is giving you right now is enough to kill us!" They smirked, and retreated backwards to allow the others to mill around the couple.

Tears of joy sprang to her eyes and she took a deep breath, keeping them from overflowing. She turned to Neville, stood on tiptoe and flung her arms around his neck. "Thank you!" she whispered. "I didn't know that so many people cared for me." She looked around and saw Ginny, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Seamus, Dean, Lavender, Parvati, Padma, and so many others.

"Silly, of course they all care for you. Everyone missed you so much during the time you lay unconscious on the hospital bed and we're all glad to have you back. Let's go and see what Harry got for us from the kitchens; it'll probably be good stuff, the elves down there just adore him."

Suddenly noticing the room they were in, she asked "Neville, are we in the…"

Knowing where she was going with this question, he nodded. "The Room of Requirement, yeah. It's done a good job making itself into a ballroom, right?" He grinned, clearly very pleased with himself. A chandelier twinkled from the high ceiling, the marble floor gleamed and tables heaped with delicious-smelling food surrounded the room. "Oh look! Pudding! Oh my god, is that treacle fudge that I see? Oh Neville, you are the best!" She ran over to the table that had caught her eye and gave herself a generous helping. Mouth full of pudding, Luna was hardly able to talk "mmm zis is wundaful Neville!"

Seeing Neville looking at her with amusement, she swallowed the food in her mouth. "What are you smiling about?" she demanded. Neville immediately wiped the smile off his face and became serious. "I wasn't laughing at you – I mean I was. Ahem." He cleared his throat and looked her in the eye. "What I want to say is that you look really cute when you're eating."

Luna blushed and lowered her plate of food. "Was that supposed to be a… compliment?"

"Yes! Uh – I mean – Of course." He gave Luna a cheesy grin, to which she responded with passion by throwing herself onto him, planting a kiss on his lips. She had momentarily forgotten about the pudding in her hands, which splattered across the floor. Pulling herself off Neville, she looked at what she had done. "Oh dear! Let me get some napkins…" She knelt down to clean up the mess. Neville knelt down too and took the napkin out of her hands. "Come on Luna, this is your party, don't be a killjoy and spend all evening cleaning up. Anyway, are you forgetting that you are a witch? _Scourgify_!" However, instead of disappearing, the mess became even worse than before and a giggle escaped from Luna's lips. "Who's the silly one now? Here, let me do it instead. _Scourgify_!" The floor was spotless, and Luna smiled at her handiwork.

Neville looked embarrassed at his incompetence. Seeing him like this, she took him by the hands and led him to the dance floor. _I wish that a slow song was playing._ Immediately, "A Cauldron Full of Hot, Strong Love" started playing and Luna sighed. This was perfect. "Neville, let's dance!" She started swaying her hips slowly in time with the music. Neville looked at her as if he were staring at something alien. "D-Dance?" He shuffled his feet nervously, remembering the nightmare of the Yule Ball. His ears turned red when he thought of the pain that Ginny must have been in that night.

"Yes, dancing, Neville. You know, when you move your body in time to the music?" She smiled warmly at him. "Come on Neville, who's being the killjoy now? This is my night and I want to dance!"

"butIdon'tknowhowtodance." Neville spouted. Luna laughed merrily. "Everyone knows how to dance. Don't worry; I won't do my wrackspurt specialty. Here, give me your hands." Neville did so accordingly. "Good. Now place them on my hips…" She guided his hands and placed them on either side of her waist, before enclosing her own around her neck. She swayed along with the music again, moving Neville with her. They spun in slow circles, eyes on each other, and nothing else mattered.

"Oh!" "I'm sorry, I'm sorry Luna, are you alright?"

"Yeah I'm fine. Relax, I'm fine Neville. It was just an accident. It's not like you meant to step on my toe. Don't worry about it." He still looked uncomfortable and something was clearly bothering him. "What's wrong, Neville?" He didn't answer for a long while. "It's because you think you're useless, isn't it? Oh Neville." She put her hands on his, bringing them down from her waist and clasped them gently. "You aren't useless. You are the bravest, greatest and cutest wizard I know, and if you mind your clumsiness so much, let me tell you that it just makes me love you all the more. It makes you, YOU, Neville." She laid her head on his warm chest. Finally, she felt him relax into her and she smiled, swaying again.

Suddenly, she felt the floor tremble. "Did you feel that?" She asked sharply.

"Feel what? Your head against my chest? I'm feeling that all right. In fact, it's leaving such a deep impression on me I've gone numb" he said jokingly, wanting to make up for the way he had ruined the atmosphere a moment ago.

"No, did you just feel the room shake?" Neville picked up on the seriousness of her tone and stopped moving, straining to feel or hear anything amiss._ THUM. THUM._ The candles flickered. All the noise from the party came to an abrupt stop and people stopped laughing and chatting when they too finally realized that something was wrong. An eerie silence filled the room as everyone tensed, wands poised at the ready. Neville broke apart from Luna and moved closer to the door instinctively.

WHAM. The double doors of the room flung open, and black hooded figures swarmed in. Screams filled the air as people ran around in panic, trampling over each other in their haste to get away from the new arrivals. "Luna! Luna! Where are you!" Neville's voice broke as he pushed through the crowd, looking desperately for a sign of her blonde hair.

"Neville! Neville! Oh Neville, where did you go?" Luna cried in despair from the other side of the room. Fear gripped her heart as she searched in vain. Suddenly, she saw a clump of chocolate brown hair standing out taller than the rest. "Neville!" relief surged through her and she barged through, elbowing her way in the direction towards Neville. She finally reached him and grabbed his arm to turn him around to face her. "Ne-" before she could finish, someone grabbed her from behind, and she barely let out half a scream when a hand was pressed against her nose and mouth. She felt a hard, cold object come in contact with her scalp and pain seared through her head. The last thing she saw was the malicious glint in the eyes of the Neville look alike, the only thing that could be seen from under the silver mask he was wearing. Then, black nothingness consumed her.

**Note: ooohhh who are these black hooded figures? What do you think will happen to Luna? I hope this isn't getting too soppy! Anyway, how was the "action" in this chapter? Was it good enough or was it too weak?**

**By the way, to my dearest anonymous reviewer: how was Neville in this chapter? And I'm sorry the Seamus-and-Dean-teasing-Neville part was a bit lame; I guess I'm just not very good with being funny. Still, I tried my best so I hope you liked it! x**


	9. Chapter 9

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything HP.**

**Continuing with the suspense…**

Neville looked around the room frantically. All hell had broken loose and it seemed impossible that he should be able to find Luna in the midst of this throbbing chaos. Suddenly, he saw a flash of pale yellow to his right and he whirled around. It had disappeared. He almost hit himself, angry at the fact that his slow response might have caused him to lose his last chance at finding Luna. Then, a movement near the doorway caught his eye. Two hooded figures were dragging a body between them, and a third was following along behind, constantly looking backwards to make sure that no one else had noticed. Neville's eyes fell on the unconscious person they were pulling along. His eyes widened with shock and fear as he registered the dirty blonde hair, the pale skin and just the slightest hint of Ravenclaw blue. It was Luna.

"No! Stop! Stop them! They're taking Luna away!" Neville barged through the mob, ignoring the spells that were being thrown every which way by the enemy and the students alike; the only thing he could see was Luna being taken away. The three hooded figures had already successfully left the room, and the double doors were starting to close. "Nooo!" Neville threw himself at the door, putting his hand between it to stop it from closing. The doors of the Room of Requirement opened to a new area of the castle each time, and, had he been a moment too late, he would have had no chance of rescuing Luna. A sickening crunch could be heard when the doors closed on his left hand but he barely felt the pain. Without hesitation, he flung the doors open once more and sprinted out.

Harry and Ginny heard Neville's yell, and turned in shock to see Luna being dragged away. "Luna!" They both turned to hurry after Neville but were confronted by two other hooded figures. Back to back they battled, flinging spell after spell at their opponents. Just as Harry managed to stun his adversary, Ginny was hit by a jinx thrown at her by hers, hitting her full on. She gasped in pain and crumpled to the floor.

"No! Ginny! No!" Fear flooded through Harry and he turned, eyes narrowed, not even blinking as he stunned the cloaked man at astonishing speed. He had completely forgotten about Neville and Luna, only being able to focus on the girl sprawled on the ground in front of him. He knelt down and shook her. "Ginny! Wake up!" Her skin was deathly pale and cold. Picking her up bridal style, he ran through the door, every muscle in his body urging him to get Ginny to the hospital wing as quickly as possible.

The duel had spread beyond the Room of Requirement and he could see Hogwarts students old and young engaged in the battle against the hooded figures. Once or twice he spotted a well-aimed spell from these unknown rivals and immediately shot shield charms to protect his fellow classmates before hurrying along with Ginny in his arms. Finally, he reached the hospital wing and quickly placed the still unconscious and unmoving girl on the bed. Her skin was now tinged with blue and her breathing was laboured. Harry felt his throat go dry. "Madam Pomfrey! Madam Pomfrey! Ginny has been jinxed! Please come! She looks like she isn't going to be able to hold on much longer…!" He swallowed thickly and collapsed in tears, laying himself across the body of his girlfriend, hugging her tightly and willing with all his might that she would just wake up.

Neville pumped his muscles hard, pushing himself to move faster than he had ever moved before. It was working and the distance between him and the three captors was slowing decreasing as he closed in on them. He heard the sound of cloaks whipping in the wind and suddenly realized that he was surrounded by a mass of black figures. He tried to turn backwards but several of them stepped up and blocked his path. His breathing quickened, mind racing as he tried to think of a way to break through. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Luna being dragged even further along the corridor. The two men were gripping her even harder than before, pulling her upright, as if about to…

"Nooo!" without a second thought he punched the man in front of him, stupefied the other who had tried to grab at his arm and ran to where Luna was. Ten steps, nine steps, eight steps…He was almost there, yet this ominous feeling in his gut told him that he would not be able to make it. There was only one step left between him and Luna…the hooded figures were twisting on the spot…he lurched himself forwards to grab onto them but his hand fell through thin air. They were gone.

Clunk. He fell to his knees, a coldness spreading through his chest. Behind him, the man he had punched stood sneering, his wand pointed directly at Neville's back. Flourishing his wand, he returned it to the inside of his cloak. Stepping towards Neville, he started circling around him, the way a predator would circle his prey. He lifted his booted foot and brought it crunching down on the hand that Neville had injured in the Room of Requirement. Pain seared through his hand and arm but he couldn't move, couldn't pull away, couldn't even yell out. "How do you like it now, lover boy? You'll thank me when this is over." This voice sounded very familiar to Neville but he was numb all over and his skull felt thick. "So long, _Neville_." With a sinister smile on his face, the man twisted in mid-air, and one by one, so did the other hooded figures. Silence disseminated throughout the whole castle as the students were left standing dumbly, suddenly without an opponent to be fighting against. Realizing what had happened, they rushed to Neville's side. "Neville! Neville!...Neeevvillleeeeeee…." He could barely make out their voices; it was as if someone had _muffliato_-ed him. His eyelids felt heavy and he succumbed to the weight, the scene before him blurring and then disappearing.

"No..Don't..Please..Luna..No…" Neville tossed and writhed in the hospital bed, breaking out in cold sweat. His fists clenched and the pain in his left hand shocked him into consciousness. "Luna!" He eyes flew open. "Arghh!" his brought his right hand up to his face, shielding his eyes from the blinding brightness of the room. As his eyes slowly adjusted to the light, he began to take in his surroundings. He was in the hospital wing, and the covers of the bed he had been laying in were drenched with sweat. He suddenly remembered what he had been dreaming about, and sincerely hoped that it was all a nightmare. Seeing Ron and Hermione by his bed, he demanded "Where is Luna?"

"Don't you.." Hermione took a deep breath, as if uncertain as to where she should start. "Don't you remember anything from that night?"

Images flooded into his mind. Luna, in her purple dress, her hair in a messy ponytail, dirty blonde curls framing her beautiful face. Luna, eating treacle fudge. Luna, kissing him. Luna, dancing with him, being ever so gentle and patient even when he accidentally stepped on her toes several times. And finally, Luna, taken away by those mysterious hooded figures. His face paled.

"So…it's all true then? It wasn't just a dream? What are you guys still doing here, LUNA HAS BEEN TAKEN AWAY!" He cried out in frustration and hit himself over the head. How could he have let this happen? He should have been there with her, protected her. It was all his fault.

Hermione looked as if she was about to cry. In a trembling voice, she said "Neville, we..we tried. But it's almost impossible to be able to find them now. These people are far more powerful than we anticipated. For some reason, they were able to apparate in and out of the castle, and, once they were gone…we just have no idea where to start looking." Guilt coursed through her and she lowered her head, unable to meet Neville's eyes.

"How long have I been unconscious? How long has it been since they captured her?"

Hermione just shook her head, unable to speak anymore. Ron understood what she meant, and patted her comfortingly, answering Neville's question instead. "You have been out for a week already."

"A week…a week…" Neville repeated in disbelief. He had been lying on this hospital bed, for a full week. Anything could have happened to Luna by now. He bolted upright, pulled the covers back and swung his legs to the floor. The action jolted his left hand and he winced. His arm was wrapped in a sling, and it felt as if a million splinters were punctured through it. The pain caused all the blood to leave his face again and he collapsed back on the bed.

"Bad idea, mate. I don't think you'll be up and running any time soon…"

"Well what else am I supposed to do? Just leave Luna to die? I LOVE HER FOR GOD'S SAKE!"

Ron's ears turned red and he glared at Neville. "I know you love her, but she wasn't the only one hurt. Stop being so selfish and perhaps you could do something useful like helping us find out who those hooded figures were!"

It felt like a slap across the face. "Who..who else was hurt?" Ron and Hermione moved away from the side of his bed and for the first time, he noticed that someone was occupying the bed next to him. Someone with flaming red hair. Hid stomach plummeted. "No..not Ginny!"

"Madam Pomfrey thinks she was hit by the same spell that you were, but she hasn't been able to gain consciousness yet."

Neville looked up at the voice. Harry stared right back at him, his emerald eyes full of incomprehensible grief. "I – I'm sorry..I wasn't thinking. What about the others?" His heart sank at the thought of more people being injured.

"Don't worry. You and Ginny had the most serious inflictions. Everyone else just got off with minor external injuries which Madam Pomfrey was able to mend in a second."

"Thank god…Wait. That does not seem right. If those guys were the death eaters that had managed to evade death and capture from the last battle, why would they lay it so lightly on us. If they were to take over Hogwarts, they should have succeeded from their numbers and from the element of surprise. Doesn't that strike you as odd..?"

"Yes, that's what Ron, Hermione and I were discussing before you woke up. None of them seemed to aiming to kill that night, and even you and Ginny, who suffered worst amongst all of us, were not injured permanently...Madam Pomfrey thinks that Ginny will be waking up soon; it's just that she needs more time to rest to fully heal herself inside. The only one we are truly worried about right now is Luna." Harry agreed, following this train of thought.

"L-Luna…" Neville choked over her name. "Why would they take her away? Unless…"

"Unless it was her that they were aimed at capturing in this sudden ambush!" Hermione finished for him.

"That makes sense. They apparated almost immediately after successfully dragging her away from the crowds of students in the Room of Requirement. But who are they truly, and why would they want Luna?" Neville's heart throbbed as he tried not to imagine the things they could have done to Luna by now.

"Hey, mate, relax. Luna is strong, smart and brave; I'm sure she's alright." Ron tried to smile at him. "Remember that time in Malfoy Manor when she was held captive for several months? She was perfectly fine even after such an ordeal and this time she has only been gone for a week or so…"

"Malfoy! That's it!" Neville jerked upright again, ignoring the pain in his hand. "I suddenly remembered. One of the men spoke to me, and at that time I thought he sounded familiar but I just wasn't able to place a finger on his name. It was Lucius Malfoy."

"Lucius Malfoy…" Harry appeared deep in thought. "That makes it almost certain that the remaining death eaters have been recruiting and reuniting again. This is not good…we should tell Professor McGonagall about what we have discovered."

Neville made as if to go with them but Harry gently pushed him back onto the bed. "You stay right where you are. We will come back once we have news on from her. The Order and the Ministry has already sent people out to look for Luna. I'll ask for her permission to join their forces in this mission once both you and Ginny have fully healed. However, you must promise not to move or do anything rash before then, alright?"

Neville wanted to protest but, at the sight of Harry's gleaming eyes, he stopped. He mumbled a feeble "Fine!" and turned his back to the trio, his mind full of images of Luna.

**Note: Why did the death eaters capture Luna? And will they be able to find her in time? I loved writing this chapter and there's more drama to come so keep looking out for my updates! Thanks for reading! x**


	10. Chapter 10

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything HP.**

**A/N: How were the last few chapters? Was there enough suspense? Did the pain register? Please read and review, tell me what you think 'cause the next few chapters are still a bit muddled in my head and it would be great if you could give me some comments! Oh, and tell me if you would prefer more fluff or more drama! Enjoy!**

**P.S. Would it be too much if I asked you guys to fill in the poll on my profile too? It's just that I really, really want to know what the majority of you want to see in fanfiction and this would give me some ideas. Thanks!**

Two months had passed and there was still no word on the whereabouts of Luna. Professor McGonagall had contacted the Ministry and had confirmed that the hooded figures were indeed new members of an army recruited by the remaining death eaters, presumably led by Lucius Malfoy, who had been right in the inner circle during Voldemort's day. What was more shocking was the fact that some of them had been former death eaters who had somehow managed to break out of Azkaban. Though dementors were no longer in use since Kingsley became the Minister of Magic, the Aurors and officials from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement had come up with a set of powerful protective spells that had been very effective in keeping the prisoners in, until now. It was slightly terrifying, the way this new band of death eaters seemed to have acquired a form of foreign magic that was beyond what they knew. It was unfamiliar, and it was powerful; perhaps even more powerful than that of the magical knowledge of the Ministry of Magic and Hogwarts Professors put together. Though Voldemort had performed extraordinary magic in his time, he was an exception and none of the abilities of his followers were even close to rivalling his powers. This time, it seemed the levels of all the new recruits were equal to that of each other, allowing them to have power in numbers. They were all very much aware of the fact that this time, it was not going to be an easy defeat, even without the dark lord.

One mystery that remained unsolved was why these death eaters had taken Luna away. She was a remarkable girl, but so were many other students at Hogwarts. Why hadn't it been Harry Potter, the Chosen One? Or Hermione Granger, the smartest witch of her age? No one seemed to be able to answer this question. It troubled Neville, and his instincts told him there was more to the situation than meets the eye.

Neville staggered into the Gryffindor common room, exhausted from another day of fruitless searching. He collapsed into the armchair by the window and just sat there, unmoving, staring blankly. That was the way Ginny found him.

"Hey. Still no luck huh?" She asked timidly, obviously aware of what his answer would be.

"No. Still no sign of her. I don't get it; I have been putting out a notice for her in the Daily Prophet every day, posters have been stuck all around every magical town in the whole of Britain, members of the Order and people from the Ministry have been looking all over for her and there is not a sign, not even a whisper. What did they do to her, how is it that she has seemingly been wiped off the face of earth?" He closed his eyes, no longer having the strength to put up the pretence of being alright. Because things were not alright, not when Luna was still missing.

Ginny placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't give up. You have been putting so much effort into this search; there is sure to be some result soon. Luna needs you, you can't let her down. Not now, when she is needing you more than ever."

"I know. But it is so tiring, to have to force myself to be hopeful each morning, hopeful that today would be the day that all this torturous searching would come to an end and Luna would finally be back by my side. But that's not going to happen, is it? It's been two months. What if..what if she has already…" He halted, not daring to continue.

"Stop that ridiculous thinking immediately! Luna survived captivity before, she survived the Battle of Hogwarts and she is going to prove to us that she has survived this ordeal too! Tell you what, how about I go with you tomorrow to continue the search? It would be good for you to have some company for once. I won't take no for an answer!"

"Yeah, that would be great." He tried to sound enthusiastic but the dejectedness in his voice and the lack of expression on his face gave him away. "I've had a long day, I think I'll go back to my room now. Thanks anyway. I'll see you tomorrow." Without a backward glance, he got up and left, his whole figure slumped as if there was no life left in him to hold him up anymore.

Halfway across the world, in China, a girl with dirty blonde hair was found wondering through the streets of a poor old village. _Where am I? What is this place?_ She looked around for a friendly familiar face in vain. She stumbled into something hard and smooth. "Oof!" When she looked up, what she saw caused her face to burn.

She had just walked right into the naked chest of a Chinese boy, who looked to be about 19 years old and was very surprised at being attacked by this foreign but pretty girl. Though his face and body was covered with grim, she could still tell that he was good-looking, and the muscles that rippled across the very chest she had come in contact with was very impressive. Suddenly, an image of a tall dark-haired boy flashed before her, and, for a second, she watched as a blonde haired girl crash into him, slamming against his chest and causing his books to fly all over the place. As quickly as it came, the image disappeared and she blinked as she was brought back to reality. "Arrghh!" She felt a piercing pain in her head and she clasped her hands tightly on either side, as if trying to contain the pain. It was too much, and she fell to the floor writhing.

The boy she had crashed into looked alarmed; dropping the baskets he had been carrying he hurried over to her side. He placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her down. "xiao jie, ni mei shi ba?" The girl was barely able to register his questioning tone, and she didn't understand a word that he just said. As the pain slowly subsided, she was able to sit up, still gasping for breath. When her vision cleared, her eyes were met with those dark concerned ones of the boy, who had not left her side. "Sorry?" she asked. "Ay!" realization dawned on the boy's face and he almost slapped himself with his stupidity. Of course she wouldn't understand what he just said! She was obviously Western, judging by her pale hair and skin. He chuckled and gave his best attempt at English. "Lady. You – Okay?" He pointed a finger at her, hoping to bring the message across.

Still looking confused, the girl nodded her head, but was met with yet another bout of pain, though not as bad as the last. Wincing, she placed a hand on her head to steady herself and said "Yes, I'm fine thank you."

"You – Lost?" he asked. At his words, she looked up, taking in the cobbled streets with dozens of Chinese people strolling around, and the stalls set up on the edges of the pavement. He was right. She had no idea where she was. "Yeah…I think I am. Where am I?"

"This Li Jiang, in China. Me Tian Qi." He pointed at himself, indicating that "Tian Qi" was his name. "What name?" he pointed at her.

"I'm…I'm…" she was at a loss for words. This was ridiculous; how could she forget her own name! Desperately racking her brain, she came up empty-handed. "I'm not sure who I am."

Tian Qi looked stunned. This girl had no idea where she was, no idea WHO she was, and didn't speak any Chinese. This was not good. Not good at all. He had errands to run and he was already late with his delivery because of this accident. If he didn't get to his customer's house soon, he was sure to get a sore scolding. Just as he was about to make up his mind to leave, he caught sight of the helpless expression on the girl's face. His kind nature overtook his anxiety to avoid a scolding and he tried to think of some way to help the girl. Suddenly, he had an idea. "You lose memory? Come me. Wise nanny. Help you." He tried to use his limited English to tell her to follow him to meet his Grandma, who was old and wise and was sure to be able to provide them with a solution to this problem.

"Me? Follow you?" the girl looked half scared, half uncertain. Though she seemed to have lost her memory, she still had her wits about her and a voice in her head was screaming NO! It would be stupid to follow a stranger to any place, especially since she was in such a vulnerable position. Seeing the look on her face, the boy smiled warmly. "No – worry. Other no speak English. I, help you. No Harm." He gestured at the other Chinese pedestrians who were looking at the two of them curiously, some even coldly. Knowing deep down that he was probably right, she went against her better decision and agreed. "Okay. Fine." She sighed. It was not as if she had much of a choice. The other people around her didn't look half as friendly, and she had a good feeling about this boy. She stood up to leave with him.

"Good." He smiled at her again, his teeth surprisingly neat and white. As they started walking together, the Tian Qi stopped abruptly, causing the girl to slam into him for the second time that day. "Sorry!" he exclaimed. "You no name. We think name for you?"

The girl knew what he was talking about. "Yeah, we should think of a name for me. How about…Helena?"

"He –He-leen-ay?" he struggled with the pronunciation. The girl laughed. "Okay, maybe not Helena. How about…Mia?"

"Mee-ah. Mi-yah. Good sound. I like!" he smiled again. "Me Tian Qi." He repeated, clearly wanting her to try to say his name too.

"Tee-yarn Gee. Tee-yarn Gee?" the words felt strange in her mouth.

"No!" Tian Qi laughed. "Me Tian Qi." He emphasized the syllables of his name.

"Tee..Tee…Ah I give up! How about I call you…Danny? How does that sound to you?"

"Danny. Danny. Good. Me Danny!" He beamed at her, and, for the first time since they met, she smiled back. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

**Note: Sooo…was this unexpected? Or is it too clichéd? What will happen to Luna aka Mia (in case you haven't caught on yet)? What HAD happened to her after the incident in the Room of Requirement? Keep an eye out for the next chapter to find out! And..THANK YOU FOR READING UP TILL THIS POINT! Love you all x**


	11. Chapter 11

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything HP.**

**A/N: I think the next few chapters will alternate from Neville and Luna's point of view so I apologize if it does get a bit confusing. Not much Nuna in this chapter, but don't worry! There will be more interaction in later chapters! REMINDER: Luna is now referred to as Mia, just in case you forgot ;)**

Mia and Danny fell into the same pace walking beside each other. From what Mia understood of Danny's English, he was planning on bringing her to meet his grandmother, to see what could be done about the fact that she had no idea who she was. She tried her best to recall parts of her life before she woke up to find herself in the streets of China but nothing came to mind. So wrapped up in her own world she was that she didn't even notice as they entered a small, dark alley. As the darkness swallowed her, she suddenly found it very hard to breathe, as if the blackness was a solid being pressing up against her. The world around her started spinning and she stumbled, only managing to stay upright due to the narrowness of the alley, meaning that the walls of the buildings around her were not far away, allowing her to lean against them. She latched a hand on one of these stone walls, trying to steady herself but a splitting headache caused her to double up in pain again.

The dark Chinese alley faded away and she saw a dark corridor instead, of what seemed to be a huge infrastructure, rather like a castle. How did she know what a castle looked like? Then, a darker, solid, strange-looking mass started to come towards her in the corridor. It seemed to be dragging something in the middle, and a flash of pale yellow caught her eye. This looked familiar but she couldn't think how. As the mass moved ever closer, she realized that it wasn't one object, but rather the silhouettes of several people, around three to four of them, some of who were wearing dark hoods that obscured their faces. Her eyes widened in shock as she saw what was being dragged between them. It was a girl, the same girl that she had had a vision of when she had first bumped into Danny. What was she doing here and what were these men doing to her? Mia tried to shout out in alarm, to warn someone of what was happening, anyone, who would be able to save the girl, but there seemed to be no one else within hearing distance. Mia started to panic, and, as soon as that happened, a flash of whiteness blinded her, forcing her to shield her eyes from the sudden light. When she opened her eyes again, she found herself in the dark Chinese alley once more.

"Mia, what wrong?" her head was still groggy with the pain of that headache and the sudden overload of information and it took her a long while to respond to Danny.

"I'm…I'm fine I think. That girl! The girl with pale blonde hair! We have to help her; she was being attacked by these strange hooded men! Is there a castle nearby?" She let out all of her worry and her fear in a rush and poor Danny barely had time to interpret the mess of English she had just spouted at him. When he just stood there, she started to shake him in frustration. "IS. THERE. A. CASTLE. NEARBY?" she yelled.

"Castle? No castle in China. Only palace for emperor. You wish to see palace?" he asked. Why would this strange girl suddenly want to go sight-seeing after having just broken down for no obvious reasons? He really had to get her to Nanny; she would know what to do. Nanny was the wisest woman around and she had healing powers that were sure to put this strange girl right again.

Mia sighed. Clearly he had no idea about what she was talking about, and who was to say that the girl was being attacked right at this moment anyway? It was hopeless. She didn't even know which country this castle was in, let alone who the girl was and how on earth was she going to be able save the girl in her vision. She could barely save herself. _This girl, who is she? Why does she keep appearing in my mind?_ Tears pricked her eyes as she sympathized with the girl; she knew all too well what it felt like to be lost and helpless. Thank god she had someone as warm and friendly as Danny by her side. She knew she must look like a nutter, yet he had been nothing but kind and patient with her. She smiled at him, apologetic for having shaken him the moment before, and he helped her to her feet again.

"You okay? We go to Nanny." He smiled at her too, but she could see the worry in his eyes. _He must be wondering what kind of trouble he has gotten himself into, mingling with a looney girl._ Still, she wasn't complaining 'cause she wouldn't know where she would be right now if it hadn't been for Danny. Probably being sold off into a slave market somewhere far away or something. She shuddered at the thought and quickly followed behind him, in case she lost him too.

After a short while, Danny finally came to a stop in front of a small stone house; there had been no further incident in their journey there. Judging by the undergrowth and the quietness of the neighbourhood, they had walked quite far from the bustling city centre and were closer to the outskirts of town. She was glad of the peace, and, though the house was unimpressive, it looked welcoming. It seemed to be completely encircled by a mouth-watering aroma, and Mia's stomach growled in protest. Danny raised his eyebrows at this was a bemused look on his face, causing Mia to blush with embarrassment. "Come in." Mia needed no further invitation and eagerly stepped in through the door.

The house looked completely empty at first, the only sign of movement being a stew that was bubbling over the fireplace, and it smelled absolutely scrumptious. Mia peeked around, but did not see the "Nanny" that Danny had talked so often about. Though the house was small, it was clean and immaculate, and was clearly very well looked after.

"Nai Nai! Nin kuai chu lai ba! You ge nu hai xu yao nin lai kan kan ta!" Danny yelled in Chinese, apparently calling for his Nanny to come out. Mia stood there awkwardly, not sure where to put herself in the limited amount of space in the room. Seeing Mia shift undecidedly from foot to foot, Danny chuckled. "Make you at home! Me call nanny to come and see you" he explained. Mia smiled gratefully and chose to sink into a couch by the fire. _Mmmm._ Her whole body sagged in relief, finally able to relax after the whole drama she had experienced today.

An old woman hobbled out. She looked at Mia, and then raised her eyebrows at Danny. Mia almost laughed out loud at the resemblance between the two. Danny spoke first, addressing his nanny in Chinese again. "Nai Nai. Wo gang gang zai lu shang pong dau zhe nu hai, ta hau xiang mi lu lah! Ta shen zhi bu ji de zi ji shi shui…zan men gai zhen me ban? Oh! Hai you, wo bang ta qu le ming zhi, jiao Mia." He then turned to Mia and translated for her in his choppy English. "Me tell nanny you lost and forget name. Tell her you Mia." He gave her a reassuring smile to encourage her to approach Nanny.

Nanny came over and grasped both of Mia's hands in her own enthusiastically. Her eyes lit up and she pulled Mia into an enveloping embrace. "Ai yo, zhe me piao liang de gu liang ah! Bu yong pa, wo hui bang ni de. Zai zhe duan shi jian ni jiu zhu zai wo men jia ba hao bu hao?" Mia looked around helplessly for Danny to explain what Nanny just said to her.

"Nanny say no worry, she help you. You stay at our home." Mia's heart swelled with emotion for the caring these two people were showing for an absolute stranger who had been nothing but trouble. "Oh! She say you very pretty too!" Danny's face was tinged with red when he said that, and Mia giggled. "Thank you." She whispered.

For some reason, despite the vulnerability of her situation, she felt no fear when she was in the presence of Danny, and this small stone hut already felt like home.

Danny nodded at his Nanny and she immediately pulled Mia along. "zou ba, Mee-ah, wo men chu qing jie qing jie!"

"She take you to clean. Wait I get clothes you." He hurried off in the opposite direction into some rooms at the back of the living room she had just been in, and Mia couldn't do anything but helplessly follow Nanny. She was led into a small bathroom. Nanny handed her a fluffy towel and left her in there. Mia stood there, wondering what she was supposed to do next. Taking notice of the grime and sweat and dirt that covered her whole body, she grimaced, stripping off her clothes with renewed determination. For the first time, she took a look at the clothing she had been wearing when Danny found her. It seemed to be a dress of some sort, ripped and slashed open in areas, with an indistinguishable colour from the dirt that covered it. She put that to one side and stepped into the shower. The warm water running down her back did wonders for her, and she finally felt comfortable again. It soothed her weary muscles and the headache seemed to wash away with the water. Scrubbing herself, she suddenly winced in pain when she rubbed an area on the small of her back. "Ah!" She gingerly touched that area again. The soreness told her that it was probably a bruise. She looked all over herself and was shocked to find that most of her body was indeed covered with bruises and cuts.

Being more careful this time, she finished rinsing off the rest of her body, and stepped out of the shower. She felt like an entirely new person, and all her worries seemed to momentarily disappear. Wrapping herself in the fluffy towel, she sighed with content. The mirror above the washing basin caught her attention and she suddenly realized that up till now, she still had no idea what she looked like. She felt nervous, not sure of what she would see. Reasoning that it probably wouldn't be too bad (Nanny had said that she was pretty, after all), she reached up and wiped the steamy mist off the mirror.

"Ahhhh!" What she saw caused her to topple backwards scream in shock, the sound filling the stone house. Danny burst into the bathroom just as Mia came in contact with the floor. Her towel slipped, but she didn't seem to notice, still screaming, her eyes wide with horror. Danny quickly averted his gaze and hastily wrapped the towel around her again, pulling her up and into his embrace.

The warmness and the feel of his strong arms around her seemed to calm her down and her screams subsided. Danny held her even tighter than before, and frowned when he felt her trembling uncontrollably. He crooned and stroked her hair all the while. When he decided that her emotions had stabilized, he lifted her up, making sure that the towel had her completely covered, before bringing her into his bedroom. He gently placed her on his bed and handed her some of his old clothes for her to change into.

"You change. No scared. I leave now, but I am outside door, okay? You find me, anytime." He gave her a small pat on her head and left the room so that she could change.

Mia took deep breaths. Shakily, she lifted herself off the bed and started putting on the clothes he had handed to her. As she pulled his shirt over her head, she smelled the sweet scent of soap and the faintest traces of mint and pine. This seemed to sooth her, and, after changing, she went out to find Danny and Nanny. After her behaviour today, she knew she owed them an explanation.

She found both Danny and Nanny in the living room, sitting on the couch apparently deep in conversation. They were speaking in Chinese so she couldn't understand a word they said. "Hi" she said timidly, not sure as to whether or not she should interrupt them.

"Mia!" Danny immediately stood up and sat her down in the middle of the couch, between himself and Nanny. "What wrong?" he asked. The genuine concern in his voice was evident. Mia took a deep breath again, not sure where to start.

"I….I….I looked in the mirror, and I saw what I looked like." All the while, Danny translated for his Nanny. Mia closed her eyes. "I saw…the girl, Danny. I saw a girl in my visions when I had those headaches and I saw her in the mirror. That girl was me. I think I have been having flashbacks. Something happened to me, a group of men kidnapped me, I'm not sure why, but that's all I remember before waking up in front of you." Danny gasped, quickly translating for his Nanny again.

"You…remember?" he asked.

"Not all the details. It seems that sometimes, something I see or hear jolts my memory and causes me to see images of bits of my past. I obviously don't belong here, but I don't know how on earth I ended up in China. It must have been to do with those hooded men I saw in my flashback." She bit on her lip. That girl was her. She was the one that had been attacked and captured. Why had that happened to her? Who was she, before she had become Mia? How had she come all the way to China, which was obviously very, very far from where she used to live? There were so many questions and no one had answers to them. She sighed in frustration.

A hand was placed lightly on her shoulder. "Bu yao xiang tai duo, xian hao hao xiu xi ba!" Nanny's kind, twinkling eyes were all it took for her to break down. Tears ran down her cheeks and her whole body wracked with unrestrained sobs. Nanny held her like that for a long while, until she fell asleep, exhausted from the day's events. _Good, sweet child. Rest now, don't think too much._

**Note: Sorry for the incomprehensible Chinese in this chapter; I needed it to make the character for Nanny more authentic. Hope you enjoyed this chapter though Neville did not make an appearance…I needed this as a filler where Luna finally realizes that the girl she has been seeing has been herself all along. Look out for my next chapter!**

**P.S. Poll on my profile page waiting for you to fill in! Trying to get some ideas on the sorts of pairings you want to see most so this would be much appreciated. Thanks!**


	12. Chapter 12

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything HP.**

**A/N: Once again, Mia is Luna in this chapter. R&R please, and…Enjoy! I'll see you at the bottom of the page ;)**

Mia blearily opened her eyes to an unfamiliar stone ceiling. Heart racing, she jolted upright, wide eyes taking in her surroundings. As she did so, the quilt that had been covering her fell off her torso, revealing a loose shirt and shorts, clearly belonging to a male. She gasped and bounded off the bed. In her haste, she lost her balance and was about to fall onto the hard stone floor, but a pair of strong, warm hands reached out to steady her.

"Ahh!" she yelled, wrenching her arm from those hands. She whirled around to face that stranger. All of the past day's events came flooding back to her mind when she saw Danny. "I'm..I'm sorry." She muttered, embarrassed at having overreacted. Why did she behave in such a way? She still felt on edge, as if the slightest movement would trigger her into fight or flight mode. Danny seemed to sense that about her and was careful not to move too suddenly. Slowly, gradually, he leaned back onto the chair he had been sitting on by the bed.

"What wrong?" asked Danny, a frown crinkling up his eyebrows in concern. He started massaging the muscles in his neck and shoulders as if they were stiff and sore, though his eyes never left her face.

"N-Nothing. I guess too much has been happening, I just seem so anxious all the time. I guess I must have been constantly in fear before I met you, and I'm still not used to the sense of security you seem to be able to give me." Mia started babbling, and smiled at Danny when she realized what she was doing. A frown of her own appeared when she noticed the way he was kneading his muscles. "Did you sleep in that chair the whole night?"

He gave a noncommittal grunt. "You sleep on bed."

"Oh gosh! I took up your bed? You should have left me on the couch, or at least have slept on the couch yourself! I can't imagine that hard wooden chair being very comfortable to sleep in…" an image of her in Danny's arms as he carried her to the bed flashed across her mind and she immediately mentally shook her head. What was she thinking? She looked so guilty Danny had to laugh.

"You sleep on bed." He repeated, his eyes twinkling in the most hypnotic manner. Mia couldn't seem to be able pry her eyes away from his. "I watch over you. You sleep. Peace." He brushed a stray strand of hair from her face.

Mia blushed at this intimate gesture and ducked her head again. "I'm sorry…and thank you." She mumbled. To her great embarrassment, her stomach started to growl in response at the same time. She realized that, since waking up lost yesterday, she had not eaten a single thing. Danny chuckled again and gently took her by the hand.

"Come. Nanny cook. We eat." She nodded and followed him out to the living room, which acted as the kitchen and dining room too. Nanny sat before the fireplace, and she was cooking something in a pot on top of the fire. _Mmmm_. It smelled wonderful. Her stomach growled again in pleasure.

Nanny heard and stood up, taking Mia by the hands. "Xiao gu liang, guo lai chi fan ba!" Mia instinctively looked towards Danny for a translation. "She say, go to eat now." She sat down at the small wooden table at the side, and Nanny bustled along, ladling some of the food from the pot into a small bowl. She placed the bowl of food in front of Mia, as well as a pair of thin, wooden sticks. Mia looked at her expectantly, but Nanny didn't seem to notice. Amused, she looked towards Danny once more, who was wolfing down his own bowl of food with gusto. It was noodles in the stew she saw Nanny cooking yesterday, with beef. Danny seemed to sense her eyes on him and stopped eating, looking up at her with questioning eyes and a full mouth.

"Danny…what am I supposed to eat with?"

"Huh?" Confusion was written all over his face as he tried to understand what she was asking. What was wrong? The food was in front of her but she hadn't touched it.

Mia thought of another way of asking that question. "Do you have a fork?" she made the motions of eating with a fork and Danny's mouth formed a small 'o' when he realized what she was talking about.

"Chopsticks. No fork." He said apologetically, holding up his own pair of thin wooden sticks. He demonstrated how to eat with them, a complex action of gripping the two sticks in one hand and manipulating it so they opened and closed. Mia picked up her own chopsticks and tried to imitate the way he held them, but only managed to drop them onto the floor with a clatter. Face burning, she ducked under the table to pick them up. When she got up again, she was surprised to see that Danny had disappeared. Before she could turn around to look for him, and strong pair of arms circled around her small frame, gripping her own hands in them firmly. Mia gasped at the sudden contact.

"I help you." He said softly, placing the chopsticks in her hands so that they were in the right position, and moving her fingers so they opened and closed easily, just as his had done so a moment ago.

"Wow! I did it!" Mia exclaimed happily, her face lighting up like a child who had just been presented with a new toy. Danny released his hold on her and returned to his own seat, laughing as he watched her try to use the chopsticks on her own. She picked up a piece of beef with her chopsticks and almost dropped it again in her excitement. Putting it into her mouth, she couldn't help but cry out again. "Merlin! This is the best beef I've ever tasted!" Having mastered the art of using chopsticks, she started stuffing food into her mouth rapidly, forgetting all about etiquette in her hunger.

"Merlin? What does that mean?" Danny asked Mia about her peculiar use of words.

Mia swallowed before answering. "Oh, that. Well that was weird, why would I use that word? Anyway, saying 'Merlin!' is similar to saying 'Oh my god!', if you know what I mean." Danny nodded.

"Oh right, I've always wanted to ask you something. No one else seems to be able to speak English around here, why is it that you can understand me so well, and can even converse with me?" The question that she had been wondering about ever since he first spoke to her popped out of her mouth. _Oh god. What is wrong with me? He will think that I'm looking down on him or something. I can be so stupid sometimes._ She mentally wacked herself over the head.

Danny looked embarrassed at her question, making her feel even more horrible for having asked it in the first place. "Um. My English very bad. My nanny? She make medicine. She is best medicine woman in city. Many people want her herb. Rich, English people like herb. I deliver herb, and talk to rich, English people. Learn English. They give me book, old book. I learn by myself." He shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant with his answer.

"Wow! You learnt by yourself? That is incredible!" Mia looked at him admiringly. "How about we make a deal? You teach me to speak and read Chinese, and I will teach you to speak and read English more fluently. I don't know how long I will be here, so I might as well make the most of it. How about that, hmm?" She looked so eager, so enthusiastic there was no way Danny could say no. So he nodded his head.

"Deal."

Days passed, weeks passed, and nothing exciting happened. Mia stayed with Danny and his grandmother, both of whom treated her with such loving care she often felt as if she were a part of their family already. Their small stone house did not have an extra room for her, but Danny managed to procure a second-hand mattress for her that was still in reasonably good condition. Though Danny had insisted that she take his bed, Mia refused time and time again, already immensely grateful for their taking care of her at a time when she was most stranded. During the day, that mattress was leant against the side of the wall in the living room, and, during the night, Mia pulled it in front of the fireplace, falling asleep in the snug warmth of the fire each night.

The family was not rich, and mainly relied on the herbs that Nanny made for a living, as well as the odd appointment with outsiders who looked to Nanny to find a cure for their many ailments. She was the most respected healer in the city, and many of the rich were willing to pay higher costs in order to make immediate appointments with her. However, to Nanny, money was not important, and she never neglected the poor in order to provide service for the rich; thus the reason behind their financial situation. In Mia's eyes, Nanny was a miracle worker. She never turned down anyone who asked for help, and always seemed to be able to find a way to cure even the strangest of diseases.

As Danny had told her before, he mainly delivered Nanny's herbs and medicines for her, and the number of households that requested for Nanny's cures was astounding. There was not a day that Danny was not kept busy, and, since the appearance of Mia in their lives, she followed him on the trips around the city to do the deliveries. Today was no different. As Danny went out to prepare his bicycle for the long ride to the other side of the city, Mia helped Nanny package all the herbs that were to be delivered today. Though she had not fully learnt Chinese yet, she never had trouble understanding what Nanny was saying. Maybe it was because Mia could always read what she was trying to say through her eyes. Or maybe it was simply because Nanny had extraordinary powers that linked her heart to every other living creature. Giving her a quick peck on the cheek, Mia yelled a "Goodbye!" and ran out the door to meet Danny.

Danny was already sitting on the bicycle, waiting for Mia. She hurriedly placed the packs of herbs into the basket in the front, secured the latch, before going to sit behind him. She automatically wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, and laid her head against his back as he pushed off the ground. As he pedalled, she felt the muscles of his legs and his back pumping, moving in sync. It was such a familiar feeling to her now, and she closed her eyes sleepily, knowing that he would wake her up when they arrived.

Their small business was flourishing beautifully, partly thanks to Mia's marvellous skill at forming close connections with everyone she met, especially the Westerners who were more comfortable interacting with someone they felt more familiar with. She had soon become friends with everyone in every household they had ever delivered to, and Mia never said no to a good bit of catching up each time. Danny joined in their conversations too, and his English was improving rapidly.

After a chaotic, hectic day, both Danny and Mia collapsed into the small stone house, where Nanny was waiting for them with hot pans of lip-smacking food. They ate gratefully, conversing in Chinese this time, so that Mia could adapt to this new and alien environment quickly. The warm food filled them up, pacifying their bone-tired bodies, and, after a quick shower, they each retired to their own beds. And so it went, day after day, as the new member of this household fell into their peaceful routine.

**A/N: I'm actually enjoying writing about Mia and Danny…probably because, as my lovely anonymous reviewer pointed out, Danny is a lot like Neville. And I didn't even realize that as I was writing about him! Neville seems to be having a great impact on me…Anyway, hope the Danny/Mia interaction is keeping you guys hooked in even though Neville didn't appear (I think he will make an appearance in the next chapter) and I hope you aren't too annoyed by Danny's grammatical errors; the poor guy can't help it! Thanks for reading!**


	13. Chapter 13

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything HP.**

**A/N: More Danny/Mia interaction, don't kill me please! I know I said that Neville might appear in this chapter but then a new idea for this chapter popped into my head and I swear this story has got a life of its own! I just really need to keep tabs on what has happened to Luna since she got kidnapped, Neville WILL appear, and they WILL get back together so no worries! No story can survive without some conflict, so here it is! R&R please…and…Enjoy!**

On one particularly cool autumn day, Mia woke up to find no one in the house. She rushed from room to room, which did not take very long considering the size of the house. Just when she was starting to panic, she felt a small tap on her shoulder. She quickly turned around to see both Danny and Nanny standing there, grinning widely.

"Surprise!" Danny yelled happily, and handed her something that felt soft and velvety. Wondering what this is all about, she looks at the object in her hands. It looked like some sort of dress, and, when she held it up, she saw that it really was one. A strikingly familiar one at that. Looking back at Nanny and Danny curiously, she runs her hand along the dress. It felt really nice.

"Wow, thank you!" She gave them a quick hug each. "Where did you get this from?"

"You were wearing this dress when we first found you, remember?" Danny answered. After having spent so much time in her company, his English was now perfect. "It was all ragged and ripped up but Nanny managed to clean it up alright. You don't know how many nights she stayed up late to mend it, just to make sure that you didn't find out what we were doing!" Mia's eyes filled with tears when she heard that, and she flung her arms around Nanny again, almost causing her frail frame to topple over.

"Oh, thank you Nanny! It looks beautiful. Why are you suddenly giving me this dress again? Is it a special occasion?"

"Well…" Danny looked slightly self-conscious. "Last time, when we celebrated my birthday, I saw how unhappy you were…" Mia looked like she wanted to object, but Danny cut her off quickly. "I know you were happy for me! But you can't pretend you weren't upset 'cause you don't know when your own birthday is! So I just thought, why not make today, the 11th of November, your birthday? It's during autumn, when the leaves turn a golden yellow, which always reminds me of you. We can celebrate together and this dress is your birthday present. It isn't much…but, I thought you might like to have it back." He looked at her, waiting to see how she would react. Whatever he expected, he certainly didn't see this one coming.

Mia almost took a running jump and leapt on him, planting a light kiss on his lips. She turned and gave Nanny a loud kiss on the cheek too, making the old woman chuckle with delight. She clumsily patted Mia's hair, and said "Kuai shi shi kan ba!" Mia looked at Danny uncertainly. For some reason, she had misgivings with the notion of trying on the dress. But when Danny said "go on, give it a try" she agreed. She slipped into the bathroom to wiggle into the dress, and flounced out to show Danny and Nanny.

The dress felt wonderful against her skin, and clung to all her curves in just the right way. It felt like it was made for her, and her alone. She gave them a twirl. "Well, how is it?" Nanny clapped her hands and said "piao liang ji lah!" (it's beautiful!), but Danny remained silent. He just stood there, gaping at her, seemingly speechless.

"Is it that bad, huh?" she asked when she saw his expression. He shook himself out of his reverie and said "No..No! It's perfect. You look amazing in it." He held out his hand, bowed and said "May I?"

Mia laughed. Dancing, here in this small room? She raised her eyebrows at him but he insisted. She took his hand good-naturedly, and he spun her in a few circles. Though it barely lasted a minute, Mia felt exhilarated. He spun her all the way to his room, and, with a flourish, opened his wardrobe door. On the inside, there was a full length mirror, and, for the first time, Mia was able to look at herself in the dress. She felt as if all the air had been knocked out of her and her knees gave way, causing her to fall backwards. Startled, Danny quickly held onto her. She clutched her head as pain overwhelmed her, and her eyes fluttered shut.

She saw the girl, the girl with the dirty blonde hair and the sleek purple dress. She was seeing herself in the past again. She seemed to be standing in the middle of a ballroom, and a party was going on. She watched as her past-self chattered away happily with a boy with chocolate brown hair, whose face she couldn't see clearly. The two started dancing, the boy rather clumsily, several times stepping on her toes, but her past-self didn't seem to mind. Her past-self laid her head against the boy's chest in a very familiar motion. All of a sudden, the whole world was trembling and the room broke apart. She felt as if she was falling, falling into an endless void.

She gasped and shuddered. Opening her eyes, she found herself in Danny's arms, his shirt drenched in her sweat. She tried to steady her breathing.

"Mia..Mia! Are you all right? What happened? Did you have a flashback again?" He immediately bombarded her with questions, giving her a look over to see if she was hurt in any way.

"I'm fine. It was another flashback. I saw myself again. My past-self anyway. She was at a party, and she was dancing and chatting with a boy. He had brown hair I think. I couldn't see his face clearly though…" She sighed. This boy could have been the key to her past. Looking up, she found Danny staring at her with a weird expression that she could not make any sense of. She gave him a weak smile, hoping that it would stop him from worrying about her. "I told you I'm fine. Really." She placed a hand lightly on his cheek. It felt weathered from his many hours outdoors, but it was still soft, and very warm. "Here is an idea. How about you take me back to the living room, and we can ask Nanny to make me one of her magical teas, hmm?" A cup of Nanny's tea could always make her feel better, no matter what she had just been through.

Finally, he nodded. She wanted to stand up but Danny just swept her up into his arms. "Danny! Put me down! I can walk just fine!" She squirmed in his grasp but he ignored her, walking out of the room.

Lowering her onto the couch, he leant down right beside her face. "I won't let you down until I'm one hundred per cent sure you're alright." Giving her a squeeze, he went to find Nanny to make her a cup of tea.

Slowly sipping her warm tea, a million questions ran through Mia's mind. Why did she keep having these flashbacks? Why did she loose her memory in the first place? Who was this boy, and why did she feel her stomach flip the moment she laid eyes on him? She wished she could have seen his face clearer. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Danny's family photo. In the photo, a young Danny, Nanny, and his mother and father were smiling sunnily at the camera. This boy in her vision..he felt like..like.._family_. He was clearly very important to her past-self. If only she knew his identity…

Danny sat down beside Mia. He noticed her fingering his family photo. Gently prying it out of her hand, he stared at the faces of his mother and father. He could barely remember what they were like anymore, and, if it were not for this lone surviving photo, he would long have forgotten what they looked like. A tear rolled down his cheek as he stroked their faces.

"What…what happened to them?" Mia asked cautiously, not sure what sort of reaction she would get from him. It was strange that, after all the time she had spent with him, in his house, she had never thought to ask that question. She was always so wrapped up in her own problems, thinking about her own non-existent family. She should have been more concerned for him, and now she regretted her thoughtlessness.

"They died in a fire." His voice was scarcely above a whisper. He took a deep breath and continued. "When I was 8, our house suddenly set on fire in the middle of the night. I was having a fever at that time, and I couldn't run out of the house. My mother came to save me. She took me in her arms and ran out whilst my father followed behind us. A pillar fell in front of him and blocked his route of escape. When my mother finally reached an area far enough away from the house, she put me down onto the grass. I still remember the feel of her arms around me, the way she tenderly kissed me on the forehead before running back into the house to save my father. They..they didn't make it."

"Oh my god." Mia breathed. She wrapped her arms around Danny, her heart breaking for him. What it must have been like, watching your own parents die before you…

"It should have been me. It should have been me." Danny sobbed into her shoulder, his whole body shaking. "I should have died. Now, they are gone. Everyone is gone."

She shushed him, stroking his head. "I'm still here. Nanny is still here. We'll stay by your side, forever."

He lifted his head, wiping the tears from his face. "Forever?" he croaked. "Do you promise to do that?"

He sounded so insecure that Mia barely gave it a second thought before nodding. "Forever."

**A/N: Okay I am seriously enjoying writing about Danny/Mia! BUT NEVILLE WILL COME BACK INTO THE PICTURE. More competition makes a greater story anyway, right? How was Danny's story, was it sad enough? Review please guys, tell me what you think, and look out for the next chapter! X**

**P.S. can you please also do the poll on my profile page? One itsy bitsy poll won't hurt…please! Pretty please with a cherry on the top and chocolate chip cookies! How about that huh? "Pleases" don't get any better than that ;) Love you all!**


	14. Chapter 14

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything HP.**

**A/N: My lovely reader and constant source of encouragement, Alix Jackson, has asked to see Neville in this chapter so here it is (don't kill me!)! Sorry for kicking him out of the picture for the last few chapters and…Enjoy!**

From that moment on, the distance between Mia and Danny seemed ever closer. Danny looked at Mia, taking in her smooth skin, her curly blonde hair, her pink flush lips and bright silver eyes and thought: what is it about this girl that makes me so comfortable to be around her? It had hardly been a year since he found her and yet she had already opened the deepest, darkest corner of his heart. He had never, ever talked about his parents' death to anyone besides Nanny before, and it was always awkward when the topic was brought up. This wasn't the case with Mia though; perhaps it was her kindness and understanding that weakened his instinct to keep his mouth shut.

After their heart to heart, they continued with Mia's birthday celebrations. It was simple, yet Mia had never felt more at home. Nanny actually made a birthday cake with fresh cream and it was absolutely mouthwatering. For dinner, they had dish upon dish of delicacies, with shrimp, fried noodles, steamed fish, spicy fried chicken and so on, all a result of a full day of hard work on the part of Nanny. There was way too much for the three of them to clear alone and so they invited neighbors to come and join them. By the end of the day, Mia was stuffed with food (Nanny kept on giving her fifth helpings of everything), leaving her drowsy and immensely content. Sitting on the couch, she looked around the room with affection. The small house was crowded with their friends from the neighboring houses, all enthusiastic to celebrate Mia's birthday with her, all bringing small gifts of sorts and insisting that she accept them. All these people, who had barely known her for a year, were putting in so much effort to make this day special for her. Especially Nanny. Her lovely, beautiful Nanny who meant the world to her. Happy tears filled her eyes and threatened to spill over.

"What're you thinking of?" A voice suddenly sounded right by her ear and she jumped with shock.

"Danny! You scared me! How did you manage to creep behind me without me hearing you…" she frowned at him with mock seriousness.

"'Cause I'm magical like that." He replied, winking at her. She felt a strange heat in the tips of the fingers of her right hand when he said that word. Clenching her hand into a fist at that feeling, she disregarded it as something to do with alterations in the room temperature. "You want to get some fresh air? It's started to get a bit stuffy in here…" She nodded and the two of them slipped out of the house together.

"So, how are you enjoying your special day, hmm?" his eyes twinkled at her and she found herself thinking _yes, this boy really is magical._

She grinned at him. "It's great. Thank you for organizing it for me, I've never felt so loved before. What it's like, to have friends…"

He laughed at that. "How can it not be easy for you to make friends? You're so easy-going and friendly and selfless and beautiful…" he blushed when the word left his lips of its own accord. He had always thought of her as beautiful, the prettiest girl he had ever laid eyes on in fact, but he hadn't meant to say that aloud.

"Pffft. You're just saying this 'cause it's my birthday." She stuck her tongue out at him. Her face became slightly more serious and she said "you're a great friend and person you know. You took me in when I was most helpless, and now you and Nanny are all the family I have left of this world. I meant it earlier today when I said I would stay by your side forever, I don't know where I'd be without you…" she offered him a small smile, hoping that little speech hadn't scared him off.

He responded with a warm smile and she breathed a sigh of relief. "You and Nanny are all the family I have in this world, too." He took her by the arm and pulled her into his embrace, holding her tightly. It was funny how in such a short amount of time they felt as if they had known each other forever already. Over his shoulder, Mia's eyes fell upon a small cozy dessert restaurant.

"Ooh look! There's a dessert restaurant over there! How about we go and have some tofu pudding?" Her eyes lit up at the mere thought of the silky, sugary pudding that melted in her mouth every time she ate it.

Danny chuckled. "I thought you would have been too full of fifth helpings of Nanny's food to be able to have dessert too."

"How can a person be too full to have pudding?" she exclaimed, insulted. "There is no such thing as having no room for pudding." She clucked, berating him for his ignorance.

"Okay, okay, we'll have that pudding." He lifted his arms in surrender. "Whoa, slow do-" Before he had even finished his sentence, Mia had grabbed him by the hand and skipped off towards the diner, dragging him behind her.

It was almost a year since Luna had disappeared. There was not a whisper, not a sound of her whereabouts. Everyone else had given up on the search, thinking the worst had happened. Yet Neville stubbornly believed that Luna was still alive. She had to be alive. He could feel this as clearly as he felt his own heart beating in his chest. She was strong, clever and gentle. There was no way that anything could ever happen to her. Though the search mission had been canceled by the Ministry after 6 months without result, Neville was insistent on continuing, even if he had to do it all by himself.

Occasionally, one or two of the old DA and Order members would take time out of their busy schedules to help him, scouring all the magical villages scattered over Britain. However, he knew that they were only doing this as a way to console him; deep down, they too believed that Luna could not possibly still be alive. If she was, why didn't she try to contact them? Why hadn't anyone seen her if she really had managed to escape from the clutches of the death eaters herself? If she hadn't managed to escape…that thought was too painful to continue. Neville had even gone as far as to look through the medical records kept in muggle hospitals to see if she had been taken in during the period in which she was kidnapped. He stuck 'missing' posters everywhere he could; going back to each and every place time and time again to make sure no one had ripped them off. He hardly slept or ate, losing all the baby fat he had left on his body, earning himself dark circles under his eyes.

Even his strict, no-nonsense Gran was worried for him. Nothing she said or did could stop him from continuing with his search. Several times he had collapsed in the streets he had been wondering through for the umpteenth time, from exhaustion. She knew that every night, Neville cried in his sleep, hugging a lion-shaped hat. She didn't know how he came by it, but, after asking Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny some questions she found that it was a hat worn by Luna to one of the Quidditch matches to show her support for Gryffindor. He had a photo of her laughing by his bedside, and sometimes she caught him just sitting there with an empty look in his eyes, stroking and staring at it. What if that girl never came back? After losing her son and daughter in law to the death eaters, she didn't think she could handle the pain that would be brought on with losing her grandson as well. She may have been hard on him, but deep down, her love and pride for him was so strong it sometimes scared herself. Her dear, dear Neville. She remembered with a smile that time she saw him dueling furiously in the Battle of Hogwarts, that time he stood up to Voldemort himself in front of everyone, fighting with all his might for those he cared for. Where had that boy gone? All that was left was a shell. It broke her heart to see him like this, but what could she do? Nothing, besides watching and hurting for him.

One day, she was about to knock on his door to call him down for dinner when she caught him on his bed in a trance again. It was one time too many and she knew she couldn't let him fall any deeper.

"Neville Longbottom. Stop being so pathetic. Put that photo down this instant, go out and do something useful with yourself!" She snapped at him, wrenching the photo frame from his hands, causing him to yelp with alarm.

Silence followed this statement and Neville did not even twitch in the position he was in. Gran continued to glare at him. At long last, he opened his mouth and spoke. "I-I can't, Gran. I'm sorry. I know I've disappointed you again. But I feel like I can't go on anymore, not since her disappearance. I-I just can't find it in me. I'm so, so sorry."

His eyes glittered, full of sorrow, and Gran's heart nearly tore in half. She went over to him and sat down on the bed too. Her tone softened when she spoke again. "Neville, I'm not trying to be hard to you. You are the apple of my eye and I couldn't have been prouder to have you as my grandson. I know what you are feeling right now; I felt the same way when your parents-" she choked, not being able to continue.

Neville looked at her with wide eyes. His gran had never discussed what happened to his parents with him before, other than to briefly explain why they couldn't be by his side as he grew up. She took a deep breath before continuing. "You have no idea how scared and helpless I felt when your parents were crucioed into insanity. One of them was my son, the other my daughter in law who I treated like my own birth daughter I never had. They were sent to St. Mungo's and I was not told whether they would ever be right again, whether they could fully heal from the extent of damage inflicted upon them. All I had left was you. But I was already an old woman then, and I had no idea what would happen to you if I were to suddenly leave this world one day…"

She sighed. "It was not easy for me. Just like it is not easy for you right now. But, if you really loved her, and she really loved you, you have to be strong for her. She wouldn't want to see you like this. I am not asking you to devote yourself to another relationship immediately, merely to find something to do with yourself instead of wasting your life away in here." She patted him on the shoulder. "Come down to dinner when you're feeling better, okay?"

She left him to his own thoughts after that.

"Oh merlin's beard! My stomach could explode right now!" Mia stretched lazily, as she and Danny walked back to the house. It was already very dark out and she was glad to have Danny by her side. Nanny must be very worried about them right now. Walking faster at that thought, she looked over her shoulder at Danny. "Come on! Nanny is waiting for us."

"Uuuhhh…I don't think I can move anymore." Danny groaned, clutching at his own stomach.

"We have to go faster!" she walked back to him and relented to her usual method of getting him to do anything: by dragging him along.

"Ahhh okay, I'm coming! Who told you to stuff me with all that dessert just now, right after having so much of Nanny's cooking…who's to blame for that huh?" he asked jokingly.

She crinkled her nose at him. "Fine, it was my bad. Now can we get a move on?"

Nanny was sitting on the doorstep, waiting anxiously for them to get home. All the other guests had left and she had even managed to clean the whole house up, yet there hadn't been a peek from the two youngsters. Finally, she saw their silhouette. She was about to yell at them, but then she saw that they were holding hands and bickering with each other. _Maybe it's better to leave these youngsters to their own devices_. A knowing smile appeared on her face and she quickly disappeared inside.

Mia and Danny entered the dark house. Where was Nanny? They tiptoed to Nanny's room together and let out the breath they had been holding when they saw the lump of her figure under the blankets on her bed. They headed back to the living room. Facing each other, the atmosphere around them was suddenly slightly awkward.

Mia averted her eyes from his intense gaze. "Well..I'll go to sleep now…" She bustled about, pulling her mattress out.

"Here, let me help you with that." Danny moved to her side and reached to take the mattress from her. Their fingers touched, and Mia suddenly felt a jolt up her arm. It reminded her of the way she had grasped his hand just now. She thought of the largeness of his hand, the perfect size to cup over hers comfortably. The callouses that brushed up against her skin, the warmth of his palm. She blushed violently, thanking her lucky stars that the room was still dark.

Danny too paused when he felt their fingers touch. Her fingers were soft and cool, slender in such a way it was a wonder he didn't break them all when they had held hands just now. His fingers lingered on hers a moment too long. He jerked himself out of those thoughts, and carried on with preparing her bed. She was his friend, his family. Nothing more.

"There you go-" He started, straightening up. He suddenly heard her exhale deeply from beside him. Gathering her courage, Mia stood on tiptoe to reach higher and placed her lips lightly on his cheek. "Thank you. And..Goodnight." With that, she quickly lay on the mattress and pulled the covers over herself, too self-conscious to bother with taking a shower first.

Danny froze where he was standing, shocked. His hand found their way to his cheek and he gently touched where she had kissed him. With a silly smile on his face, he went to his own room. Pressing a pillow to his face, he couldn't contain the whoop that erupted from within him.

**A/N: So, how was this chapter? I may have dragged it out a bit too much, sorry for boring you guys, but I also wanted to bring Neville back in here a bit more, and I thought these emotions were pretty important for the story. Oh, and this is the first time the 'm' word is used since Luna (Mia) was captured. In case you haven't noticed, she has forgotten all about the magical world and naturally all about her magical powers too. There are no mentions of blibbering humdingers or wrackspurts 'cause they don't exist in her mind anymore (awww). It'll turn a bit interesting later on…Please leave a review; it really would make my day! Thanks for reading! x**


	15. Chapter 15

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything HP.**

**A/N: So, once again, the lovely Alix Jackson gave me a great idea to add onto the one I originally had for this chapter. Hope this is able to satisfy you! R&R please, and..Enjoy!**

Neville stood up abruptly. Gran was right; he was wasting his life away. If Luna were here, she would urge him to get on his two feet again. He ran down the stairs.

"Gran? Gran! Where are you?" He looked around the kitchen. On the table were several dishes of steaming hot food. It had been a while since he had eaten his Gran's cooking and it smelled delicious to him. "Gran?" He found her sitting on the couch, with a hot cup of tea, staring at a photo of his mom and dad. This scene was strangely similar to the way he had been staring at Luna's photo just moments ago. He went up to her and gently placed both his hands onto her shoulders, giving them a light squeeze.

"Hey Gran." She acknowledged him by inclining her head towards him slightly. "I've thought it through now. You're right, I've been acting foolishly." He waited for her to give him some response. She merely sat there, but he could tell that she was listening. "I've decided to start my teacher's training. I want to become the Herbology Professor at Hogwarts. How about that hmm?"

She twisted around on the couch to see his face properly, placing a hand on one of his. "That is a great idea, dear. I'm so glad you made this decision." Giving him a small smile, she stood up. "Come on, let's have dinner now. The food will be getting cold and you haven't been eating properly for months; it's high time you _truly_ savored the palatability of my cooking."

When Gran's back was turned, Neville let a smirk creep onto his face. This was still same old Gran. She always thought that she was right, and, the funny thing was that what she said was indeed true most of the time.

Mia's head was against Danny's back again, his muscles moving in that regular rhythm against her skin as he cycled to their next destination. She snuggled closer. Hmm, it just felt so comfortable, right here right now…

Suddenly, the bicycle jerked to a stop in a dark alley, almost throwing Mia off the seat. "Danny, wha-" she wasn't even able to finish her sentence before it became evident just _what_ the problem was. They were surrounded by tall muscular men holding metal rods, looking at them menacingly. Danny spoke up first. "Ni men xiang gan ma?" he asked to know just what these men wanted from them.

One of them stepped forward. He had an air of authority and confidence, and was clearly the leader of the group. His thick arms were peppered with so many tattoos of strange symbols and Chinese letters that hardly any skin was left visible. "Zhi yao ba ni men shen shang de yao dou gei wo men, mei you ren hui shou shang de." He looked Danny right in the eye, not even flickering once, as if to prove that what he just said was true. Mia had mastered enough Chinese to know what he was asking for. _Hand over the medicine you are carrying with you and no one gets hurt._ Her breath caught in her throat. They were carrying cordyceps, a rare, expensive herb they were meant to deliver to Mr. Han. Nanny had gone to extreme measures to obtain this herb and now these guys were demanding that they just hand it over.

She clambered off the bicycle and walked up to the thug. Pulling herself to her tallest, she looked him straight in the eye with a steely gaze. "You. Are. Not. Touching. It." Every word was accompanied by a poke in the chest.

The man didn't understand a word she said but her meaning was obvious. His face turned beet red. All around him, his followers slapped their metal rods against the palm of their hands threateningly but Mia was not unnerved by this action at all and did not back off. Danny leapt off the bicycle too, allowing it to fall to the ground with a clatter. He grabbed Mia's arm. Her head whipped around to glare at him too but he just shook his head. _It's not worth it. You'll get hurt. Let's go._ She just pulled her arm out of his grasp. Just as she was about to turn around, though, she saw a flash of silver out of the corner of her eye. One of the bandits had charged towards her, both arms raised above his head, clasping his rod. Her eyes widened and her mouth opened to a scream that had no chance to leave her throat. Danny shoved her out of the way, and Mia fell to the ground. Her head was spinning again, and her vision started to blur at the edges. _No, no, I can't fall into unconsciousness now, Danny is in trouble, he needs me. You've got to stay awake Mia, stay awa-_ The last thing she heard was the sickening crunch of metal meeting with a skull.

As Mia sank into unconsciousness, several things happened at once. A silvery glow emitted from her body, a strong, positive life force of sorts that repelled the bandits, sending them flying away from both her and Danny. Danny, having been hit in the head, slunk against the wall of the alley. His eyes were unfocused but he could still make out the shape of Mia on the ground. "Mia..Mia.." he called at her weakly. He tried to push his body up with his elbows, but failed miserably, collapsing in a heap. Crawling painstakingly towards her with one arm outstretched, he finally managed to get a hold of her.

He gasped as he felt himself being pulled from his body, as if his soul was being sucked into Mia. Images flashed before his eyes. He saw Mia, in the sleek purple dress he had returned to her on her birthday. She looked like she was at a party, in a large, spacious room that looked tremendously elegant. She was laughing with a brown haired boy, and he watched as they danced together. When she laid her head against the boy, he felt his own stomach clench and he pressed a palm against his chest, right on the spot that she so loved to rest her head on when _they_ spent time together. Then, all hell broke loose. Mia whipped out a long wooden stick, searching frantically for something. Black hooded figures had entered the room and then suddenly everyone was holding these strange wooden sticks. Flashes of light appeared left and right, shooting out of these sticks, aimed at the people around him, causing them to collapse one by one. He wanted to go over to help them, but he was frozen to the spot. Then, the scene dissolved before him. This time, he saw those dark figures that had attacked Mia's friends. They were standing huddled around something in a dimly lit room. Craning his neck, he realized that is was not _something_, but _someone_. A very familiar someone with dirty blonde hair. He struggled to breathe when he saw that she was bound tightly to the chair she was sitting in. One of the men raised his hand and slapped her hard across the face. Mia blinked, wincing at the pain, before raising her head to glare at the people standing around her.

"Whoo." One of them wolf-whistled. "This lady has got _attitude_."

Another standing beside him smirked. "Not for long. Not after we've been through with her." Danny clenched his fists when he heard that. _Those vile, evil men! What do they want with Mia?_ But he was helpless where he was. Once again, he found himself frozen to the spot.

The man who had just spoken grabbed Mia's face in one hand, squeezing her tightly so that she couldn't pull away from him. She struggled against his hold. "Let me go! Let me go! Uhhh!" She grunted whilst twisting this way and that, trying to get to a position in which she could bite him to get his filthy hands off her face. "Who are you people?"

He laughed. "Who are we? Now that's a funny question. We were just about to ask you the same thing." He pulled her face close to his. "Hello, pretty. What is_ your _name?" Mia was still struggling, her mind racing. Who were these people and what were they looking for? She and her father had lived together peacefully since her mother's death…unless…

"Fine. Act stupid then. We'll get answers out of you eventually, Miss _Luna Lovegood._" He glared at her, flinging her face to one side. _Luna Lovegood?_ Was that her real name? Danny didn't have long to wonder before her gasp made him look in her direction again. The sudden release had come as a surprise and the force at which the man had whipped her head to one side almost caused her to topple over. "I'll give you one more chance to answer my questions. Otherwise, you needn't worry. We have many methods with which we can loosen that sharp tongue of yours." He gave her a sinister smile.

"Now, let's try that again. Where had your mother hidden her notebook?" _It's true then. They are looking for my mother's notebook. No, the consequences of having the notebook fall into their hands are drastic; I simply cannot let that happen._ His eyes never left her face the entire time and she tried not to betray any signs of realization on her face. "I have no idea what you are talking about" was her only sullen answer.

"Being stubborn, eh? That's no matter…" In a blink of an eye, he was holding one of those wooden sticks again, pointing it directly at her face. "Crucio!"

Mia screamed, writhing in the chair with pain. It was as if she was being tortured, yet none of the men were touching her. As the pain subsided, her body sagged against her bonds, and she was left gasping for breath. The man, who Danny had taken to calling 'the jerk', circled around Mia as a predator would circle around his prey before attacking. He leaned down again. "Well, are you ready to answer my question yet? Where. Is. The. Notebook? Tell me right now!"

Mia spit in his face. "In your dreams!" she retorted. His hand lifted to his face, wiping away the saliva with distaste before he brought his hand down onto her cheek with force. Mia bit her lip, forbidding herself from giving him the satisfaction of knowing that he had caused her to feel pain. "I see that you still haven't learnt your lesson…Crucio!" Again, she writhed in her chair, cold sweat breaking out on her forehead. Again and again 'the jerk' shot flashes of light towards her with his wooden stick, and Mia soon turned pale and clammy. She didn't even seem conscious anymore. Her head was drooping and it was clear that the only thing keeping her upright was the bonds around her body. _Mia! Mia!_ Danny tried to call her but there was no response. She simply could not hear him.

Once again, the scene faded into nothingness and was replaced by yet another. Two of the men were holding Mia up by her armpits between them, dragging her along. Danny felt faint. _What have they done to her? Is she…is she..dead?_ The blood drained from his face. He heard the men muttering to themselves. "All that effort we used to break into Hogwarts in order to kidnap this girl was pointless.."

The other man nodded bitterly. "What a waste of time. Several crucios and she lost her memory. Who knew she was so weak?" He kicked at the unconscious Mia. They reached an isolated street. The cobblestone path and buildings looked very familiar. _This was where I found Mia!_ Danny realized._ All this that I'm witnessing right now; they're her memories! The ones she lost! No wonder she has been having headaches and flashbacks all the time_. His blood boiled at the thought. It was all the work of these men, that made Mia (or was it Luna?) the way she was right now. A voice wrenched him out of his thoughts. "Hey, let's just dump her here and leave."

His partner grunted his approval. They dropped her on the sidewalk and left without a backward glance. Mia Mia Mia Mia Mia Mia- that was all that Danny's thoughts consisted of. He reached out towards her but she vanished with a poof. The world around him started spinning and he felt his body again. His senses had returned and he became very aware of the hard, cold stone ground beneath him, as well as something soft…

Mia was stirring too. Her eyes suddenly snapped open, automatically searching for Danny. They fell upon his figure on the floor. One of his hands was on top of her arm and a pool of blood had collected around his head. She stifled a scream, placing a hand on top of the one he had on her. There was not a trace of warmth. _I have to get him to Nanny, right now!_ She looked around desperately but they were the only ones in the alley. She closed her eyes, trapping the tears that threatened to fall. _Danny has to be alright. He can't die. He just can't. Please, someone, anyone, help me get him back home!_ She abruptly felt a twisting sensation as if she were being sucked into a black hole. It felt as if walls were pressing against her on all four sides, suffocating her. Then, the sensation disappeared as quickly as it had appeared and she glanced around her. She yelped with surprise, finding herself on the doorstep of a familiar stone house, with Danny in her arms.

"Nai Nai! Kuai dian guo lai! Danny shou shang lah!" she cried into the house for Nanny to come and save Danny. Broken sobs escaped from her and the tears streaked down her face. It was her fault, all her fault. If she hadn't been so stupid as to stand up to those thugs, Danny wouldn't have been injured. Nanny came rushing out at those words and cried out with shock when she saw Danny's condition. She rushed back into the house, returning with a pillow and some herbs and sanitizing equipment to stop the bleeding. The moment Danny was removed from Mia's arms she surrendered herself into wave after wave of exhaustion that overwhelmed her, losing all awareness of her surroundings.

**A/N: It's time for some clarification! Yes, magic was included into this chapter as requested (though I don't think I did a very good job of it). The 'silvery glow' was actually a hybrid of the Patronus Charm. Even though Mia (Luna) didn't have a wand with her, she managed to ward off the attackers with this purely from the magical powers within her. It is the same concept for the way she had managed to apparate from the alley back home with Danny in her arms. Also, the reason behind Luna's capture has been revealed! More explanation will come in later chapters don't worry. Please leave a review! It would make me really, really happy. Thanks x**


	16. Chapter 16

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything HP.**

**A/N: Argh I haven't been updating as frequently as I want to because it's a hectic year for me right now. Anyone else taking the IBDP program? IT IS CRAZY BUSY and I'm just being overwhelmed with projects and stuff every week. Sorry for moaning but yeah, just wanted you guys to know that I haven't given up on the story! R&R please lovelies :)**

Mia sat by Danny's side. He wasn't bleeding anymore and colour was gradually coming back to his face after Nanny had worked her magic. He looked so peaceful under the covers. Her hand acted of its own accord, reaching out and gently coming in contact with his eyebrow. Her fingers danced across it, running along in faint, gossamer whispers, right under the bandage that circled around his forehead. For the first time in hours, Danny stirred and mumbled something indecipherable.

"Mmmm Mia dunnohoo…loona wassyur hummpphh…"

Mia barely registered her own name in that heap of incoherent jumble. She bounced off the bed and was about to call for Nanny when a something grabbed her wrist. She looked down and saw Danny's hand clamped tightly around her own. Shocked, she looked over at his face but found that he was still in his deep sleep. This time, very clearly, she heard what he said.

"Stay." It seemed barely a breath, almost too quiet to be heard, yet it was ringing in her ears.

Mia collapsed back onto the bed. This simple, singular word caused her heart to shatter. Staring at Danny's face, a solitary tear rolled down her cheek. _Silly guy. Why does he always do so much for me? Taking that hit for me…how could he have been so stupid, especially since I was the one to go against those brutes in the first place? He thinks I don't see those small gestures, the way he sneaks candy into my rucksack before we leave each day 'cause he knows I have an incurably sweet tooth, even though candy is ever so expensive and we really can't afford a lot… or the way he looks at me with his smouldering eyes when he brushes my crazy hair from my face…I miss that. I miss him. Danny, please wake up._

The next thing she knew, she was feeling something squirm underneath her. She was lying face down on something soft and cool that felt like…covers. Something, or rather, someone was moving around beneath her.

"Whoa." She jolted upright immediately, head still swimming drowsily. How could she have fallen asleep; she was supposed to be watching over him! "Danny! You're…" she trailed off. A dreamy look came over her and she let out a little sigh of content, completely disregarding Danny in front of her.

Danny, who had been smiling weakly at Mia's reaction, looked confused. "Earth to Mi-Ahhh!" He winced as pain shot through his arm when he tried to wave a hand in front of her. Gently prodding his own arm to ease the pain, he looked over at Mia again. Her usually wavy hair was all over her face, giving her a rumpled look as if she hadn't slept for several days. She was staring into nothingness, and Danny's eyebrows creased with worry. He was just about to shake her by the shoulder when -

"Ooh look! A blibbering humdinger!" She gasped, instantly clasping a hand over her mouth as soon as her words popped out. What had she just said? What the hell is a blibbering humdinger? Oh no, what was Danny going to think of her now? Lost in her own thoughts, she missed the look of scepticism that flitted briefly across Danny's face.

"You're starting to remember, aren't you?" he asked quietly. Memories of what had happened that day came flooding back, accompanied by an unexplained fear. It overwhelmed his every sense and he couldn't think properly.

"I..I…" her thoughts jumped to the images she had seen when she had blacked out in the alley. "Yeah, I guess I am starting to recall some things…"

"I saw them. Your memories. I had placed my hand on you and you just sort of…sucked me in." He sounded almost apologetic, as if he felt guilty for intruding her thoughts.

"I'm glad you saw them, actually." She placed a comforting hand on top of his. "It would really reduce the burden I have to carry, wondering about who I was in the past. At least now I have you by my side, knowing the things I know. We can go through this together."

She smiled, but Danny seemed to struggle to return it. They sat awkwardly together on the same bed. Mia suddenly became all too aware of the warmth radiating from the areas where his arm grazed her bare shoulder and where their legs were pressed lightly against one another. She fought to keep herself from blushing. What was wrong with her? They had been in more intimate situations many times before and she had never reacted in such an inane way. Slowly, she tried to edge herself away from him without him noticing, but…

"Are you this uncomfortable around me now? Is this closeness unbearable to you? I'm sorry for making you feel this way. You may leave anytime you want you know, I'm awake now and I don't need you to look after me anymore."

His bluntness came as a surprise. Where had this come from? He had always been so nice to her, so gentle and caring. She knew her mouth was hanging open in a comical "o" but she couldn't seem to be able to move at all.

"W-what do you mean? We had always gotten along so well together…why…" she sounded so confused and hurt that Danny almost faltered. Taking a deep breath to calm his own churning feelings, he wiped his face and voice of emotion.

"I don't know what you are talking about. I only put up with you because you were a poor, homeless girl I found on the streets. I pitied you. But now you obviously are more than capable of looking after yourself, and you've learnt the language. I understand if you want to leave here and make something out of yourself. Don't let me be pulling you back." He pointedly kept his eyes away from her, knowing he would not be able to keep this up if he so much as glanced as her.

"B-But.." Mia stuttered, at a loss for words. How had all of this happened so suddenly? "Danny. I didn't mean it that way. I just thought we were sitting a little too close to each other…I don't know what came over me." He didn't show any signs of hearing her. She sighed. "Danny. I'm not going anywhere. I like it here, and how am I supposed to leave sweet, dear Nanny? Stop this, whatever you're doing."

"You're going to be leaving someday anyway, right? It won't make any difference if you left right now. Let's just get this over with."

Mia suddenly realized where he was going at. He thought that, because she had had flashbacks of bits of her past life, she would want to return to it once she had fully regained her memory. But he had never been more wrong in his life. "I am not going anywhere." She repeated once more, crossing her arms to bring her message across. "And nothing you do can make me." She was about to continue with her retort but, suddenly, an image of the brown-haired boy floated through her mind and she hesitated mid-sentence.

Danny did not miss that look on her face. She looked blissfully happy, happier than he'd ever seen her. _She's going to leave me. She's starting to remember again and she'll want to go back to the life she once had. Who would want to stay with a poor delivery boy and an old healer when they were once so full of opportunity? When that time comes, I'll willingly let her go. She deserves better._

_Argh no, I've gone into one of those trances again. These flashbacks are having such a weird effect on me; I keep daydreaming all the time now. Focus. I must focus if I want to convince Danny that I'm not leaving him._

"Is there anything that I can say to make this better, to make you look me in the eye again?"

"No. Just leave. I'm tired." He rolled over on the bed so that his back was to her. She quickly went around it so that she was facing him again.

"Well, if words won't do the trick then I guess I'll just have to show you." Leaning down, she pressed her lips against his. At first, his whole body seemed to have turned to stone. But, as Mia gently caressed his lips between hers, he started to respond. She placed feather light kisses upon his mouth, and a sigh escaped from his lips. Grinning shyly now, she started to worry her teeth against his lower lip, grazing it ever so softly. Before she knew what was happening, she felt strong, muscular arms pulling her onto the bed. Danny held her on top of him, pulling her closer so that no distance remained between the two of them. His tongue flickered against her lips and Mia willingly opened her mouth to this invitation, their tongues battling for dominance. Her finger caught into the tangles of his dark silky hair, tugging gently at the strands, at times pulling his head even closer to hers. His arms, which had been trapping her against him, started roaming all over her body, so that it was pressed flush against his. They snaked down to the small of her back, sending shivers down her spine at the contact. She started to lead her lips away from his, burning a fiery trail from his mouth down to his chin, which she nibbled playfully, before going further down to the sensitive areas of his neck. She sucked on the skin there. _Mmm. _He smelled wonderful. Danny growled, gripping her firmly before twisting them around so that he could slam her against the bed, earning a gasp from her. She immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him towards her, their lips melded together, tasting and exploring each other in the most delightful way. He propped himself above her with one arm whilst the other sneaked beneath her shirt, tickling the flat of her belly. She chuckled at the touch, and broke away from the kiss to draw breath.

Danny collapsed back onto the bed beside her, both panting from the intensity of the kiss. "Wow" was all he could say.

Mia could not help but laugh at that. "Yeah, 'wow' is correct. I take it that you won't be forcing me to leave anymore?" her lips, slightly swollen from the kiss, formed a victorious smirk. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close. "I told you I would stay by your side forever, remember? I don't go back on promises and you can't make me, whether you like it or not." She glanced over at him. "Though, judging by the way you responded, you seem to be liking it quite a lot" she added cheekily.

Danny groaned. "How on earth am I supposed to deal with you, Mia? You will be the death of me." Mia raised her eyebrows in disbelief at this. She tutted, wagging her finger in an exaggerated motion as she corrected him. "What you _meant_ to say was this: Oh Mia, dearest love of my life, how on earth am I supposed to live without you? Please stay by my side forever!" Danny rolled his eyes, crushing his lips onto hers once more, just to shut her up.

**A/N: Yeah, I know I know, Neville seems to have disappeared again. I don't want to rush this story so please don't kill me! And this is a NUNA story so no worries okay? I have the whole thing planned out but it is moving at its own pace. This was a bit shorter than the previous chapters but I hope the kiss made up for it (even though it wasn't nuna). How was it though? Passionate enough or just bleh? Leave me a review (just a couple of words will do!) and I will be forever grateful ;) x**


	17. Chapter 17

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything HP.**

**A/N: A big thankyou to danceyrselfclean who has given me great suggestions and pointed out problems in my story. I know I'm hopeless at recreating Queen Rowling's characters in my story and both Luna and Neville are OOC in the first few chapters so please forgive me. I wanted to use those chapters simply as a background and I guess I rushed it too much. Danny DOES contain lots of Neville traits but he is only a tool with which I am trying to create conflict between Nuna (Luna, being the lovely girl she is, will be torn between the two, unwilling to break Danny's heart yet overwhelmed with love for Neville at the same time). The Nuna relationship will progress slower and hopefully better in the chapters to come so please bear with me, and I WILL TRY MY VERY BEST to bring them back in character ;). THANKYOU for the wonderful reviews and please, R&R this chapter. Neville is here again (so don't crucio me Alix Jackson D: )!**

**P.S. I know danceyrselfclean is not a beta reader, but could you still continue to give me feedback after reading my stories? This creative writing stuff is really new to me so I would be eternally grateful if you could do that! Guys, please review to give me suggestions too, I want to be able to make this story enjoyable and as close to the original series as possible. Okay, ima shut up now, enjoy!**

Neville was sitting in The Three Broomsticks, alone. He had a butterbeer in front of him which he kept sipping nervously and seemed to be squirming slightly in his seat. He eyes kept darting to the clock, the door and back at his drink. Finally, at five minutes to 7, the tinkle of the door opening made him look over and his eyes came in contact with a pair of dark brown ones. Sighing in resignation softly to himself, he forced a smile on his face, inviting her over.

Hannah smiled at the sight of Neville and was beside him in the blink of an eye. She sat down beside him, still smiling coyly.

"Hey Hannah, great to see you again." He greeted. He eyed his now empty mug. "Would you like a butterbeer too, or would you prefer something stronger?"

"A butterbeer will do."

"Cool. Wait here for me, I'll be back in a moment." He sauntered off to the bar counter.

Sighing, with content this time, Hannah supported her chin with the palm of her hand. Her eyes never left the back of Neville's body as he went off to buy her the drink. _He looks so yummy; all these years of wrestling plants at Hogwarts seemed to have done so much for his figure. Those muscles and broad shoulders, my god. _She mentally slapped herself. _I should have gotten over my shyness and asked him out all those years ago, look at what I'm missing out on! At least I still have a chance now…_

Her thoughts jumped to the scene last night. It had been closing in on midnight and she was about to go to sleep when she heard a loud tapping on her window. Walking over to open it groggily, an owl soared in. Who would be sending her letters so late at night?

She gently pulled the roll of parchment tethered to the owl's feet. Her heart jumped to her throat when she saw the handwriting. It was written in a very, very familiar clumsy cursive, one that she recognized immediately due to having spent years of staring at it with longing. It belonged to Neville Longbottom.

Scanning down to the bottom of the note, her guess was confirmed by the signature. _We haven't been in contact for years, why is Neville suddenly sending me a note?_ Full of anticipation, she returned to the start of the letter and began to read.

"Dear Hannah,

How are you? We haven't seen each other in ages and I thought it would be cool if met up one day to catch up with each other. What do you think about that?

If it's okay with you, how about meeting up at The Three Broomsticks, this Saturday at 7:00pm?

Looking forward to hearing from you again,

Neville"

Hannah practically screamed with joy, dancing and jumping around her living room. YES! Finally, after years of waiting, Neville was starting to take notice of her. Hands shaking, she scribbled a note back, trying to keep her cool.

"Neville,

Saturday at 7 will be great. Can't wait. I'll see you tomorrow then.

Love,

Hannah."

She had tried to make the note as neutral and unassuming as possible but she couldn't stop herself from signing it with "Love, Hannah." Clasping the note from Neville tightly to her heart, she skipped to bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep with excitement. Saturday just could not come fast enough.

_Meanwhile…_

Neville walked over to the bar counter. As soon as he left her field of vision he allowed his shoulders to sag. This was promising to be a long night. Why oh why did Gran have to force him to go on this "date", as she called it?

He had gone back to live with Gran during the holidays after having spent the whole school year at Hogwarts, teaching Herbology. He missed his gran dearly and he knew that she would appreciate the company. Heck, he needed the company himself. Last night, out of the blue, she had fired a question at him. "Neville, why are you spending all day at home all the time? Shouldn't you be going out more, meeting friends…that are female?"

Having been caught unawares, Neville stuttered. "W-what?"

Gran went straight to the point. "Neville Longbottom, you know perfectly well what I am trying to say. I haven't seen a lady friend by your side in years…ever since…" She couldn't bring herself to say the name. Neville's eye had already clouded over.

"I know you have been through a lot but staying to yourself all the time isn't the answer to everything, Neville dear. How about you invite a nice lady friend on a date tomorrow night, hmm? That young girl you once told me about, what's her name..Hannah?"

This time, Neville yelped. "Hannah? Why would I want to invite Hannah on a…DATE?"

Gran glared at him. "Now, what is wrong with that? She is a lady friend, and she seems nice from what I've heard you say about her. You take out a piece of parchment right now and invite her for a drink at the Three Broomsticks tomorrow. The two of you could do with some catching up anyway. No questions." She added when Neville was about to protest. Neville sighed. _I guess there is no way around this one. Heck, just to make her happy._ He scribbled the note and sent it out. _Catching up with each other won't do anyone any harm_, he thought comfortingly.

So here he was. It wasn't that he didn't like Hannah, she was a perfectly nice young woman. But she just wasn't Luna. And right now, he wasn't ready to take on a new relationship just yet.

Taking the drinks back to their table, he found Hannah staring at him in a slightly lovelorn way. Taken aback by the look in her eyes, he almost spilled their drinks all over himself. He had never seen a woman look at him that way, and frankly, it was kind of scaring him. Hesitating, he approached her.

"Here you go." He placed her butterbeer in front of her tentatively before taking his own seat, careful to put the table between himself and her. _Better safe than sorry_, he thought.

Thanking him, she asked the question he had been dreading to hear all night. "So, why did you ask to meet with me all of a sudden?"

A million reasons ran through his mind. _My Gran forced me to meet up with the first female whose name came to mind_. No, even a person as helpless in the field of social skills and romance as him would not be stupid enough to say that. _I was just feeling pretty lonely and thought it would be cool to meet up with some old friends._ No, this wouldn't work either. It was too suggestive and she might think that he wanted her company in more ways than just two old friends catching up on each other's lives. He found himself stuttering for the second time in two days.

"Uh..uh..I just..the idea just suddenly popped into my head one day!" He smiled at her sheepishly. She, in turn, simply raised her eyebrows in a way that clearly said _I do not believe a word you just said_. Still, this was a trivial matter and was not worth following up on. She didn't want to risk him feeling awkward in her presence.

"Well, thank you anyway."

"Whatever for?" he asked, bewildered. He had hardly acted in a gentlemanly manner as of right now (Gran would be furious if she was here); the only thing he had done was to buy her a drink. That must be it! He stumbled over his own words trying to make up for his previous exclamation. "Oh, you mean buying the drinks? It was nothing."

Hannah stared at him for a moment before bursting into laughter. He was still the clueless Neville she had known back in their days at Hogwarts, and she loved him for that. _Yes, I do still love him_. She confirmed this in her own mind. _Even after all these years, my feelings for him have never changed._

"No, I meant for asking me to come out. It's great to be able to see you again. I've missed you." _And you have no idea how much_. She added to herself. All the hurt she had initially felt when he broke off all contact with his friends and classmates after 'that incident' (as she had come to call it) were washed away by the fact that right now, he was sitting in front of her, they were chatting, and, most importantly, HE had been the one to invite her over, and not the other way around. She gently placed her hand over one of his.

"How have you been these few years?" Her eyes were brimming with concern for him and he wasn't sure how he should respond. Though, he had to admit, the soft coolness of her palm was not entirely unpleasant.

"I've been…well…you know what happened during our seventh year. It's not been great for me but I'm surviving."

There was a pause before she chose to spoke again. This time, she spoke slowly, as if afraid of saying something wrong or revealing too much. "So…after all these years…you've never been acquainted with another female friend..in..you know.._that_ way?"

He knew what she was suggesting immediately. He blushed at being asked what he perceived to be quite an intimate question. "No, not really. I don't think I've quite gotten over her yet." He was embarrassed at having spoken that aloud. He wasn't used to telling these things to other people, and he had not admitted this to anyone else other than to Ginny. He was still in touch with her, though obviously he did not retain his former feelings for her. Attempting to bring the attention away from himself, he asked Hannah the same question. "What about you? What have you been up to after leaving Hogwarts?"

"Hmm, what are you referring to? My career or my love life?" She teased him, chuckling at the way he ducked his head again. He was still so shy, and seeing him behave this way was beyond cute in her eyes. "I'm kidding. I've been doing this and that, mainly working at my parent's inn and all. As for details on my love life…" She trailed off suggestively, giving him another coy look. "Well, that is just non-existent."

"What?" This time, Neville really was shocked. Though Hannah was a quiet girl back at school, she was not unpopular and quite a few boys taken to fancying her. Now, she had grown into a willow young woman was soft, pretty features and it did not seem possible that she would have stayed single all these years. "Why is that? I would have thought you would have suitors lining up to catch a glimpse of you, seeing as you've grown up to be quite pretty." In his disbelief, he did not realize what he was implying with that sentence.

"You..you really think that I'm pretty?" Hannah had frozen on the spot with her mug of butterbeer posed before her lips. _Hannah get a grip on yourself. You are embarrassing yourself in front of the love of your life!_ Blinking owlishly for a few moments, she decided to recover her earlier response by teasing him again. "Would you be one of those suitors then?" This boldness surprised herself. What he said was true; she had had quite a lot of men confess their undying love for her but she was never convinced, though it did make her more confident in her looks and ability. However, his comment to her, one that he had blurted out without thought, was the best thing she had ever heard and she began to think, maybe, just maybe, she would have a chance with him this time.

"I..I..I don't..I mean..You're.." he babbled incoherently. Should he say yes, or no? either answer was dangerous and he didn't want to give her any idea, but he didn't want to hurt her feelings either. Swatting at his arm, Hannah gave him a smile. "I'm just teasing you again. And no, I've chosen to stay single…I want to wait for that one special person to come into my life instead of simply giving myself away to any man that comes before me." _It's you, Neville. The person I have been waiting for all along was you. You're the only thing I would ever want_. "Come on! There's no need to be so serious! Let's make tonight a fun one, I imagine both of us need this time to relax a bit."

Having been brought away from this sensitive topic, Neville truly was able to relax. And with that, the two of them spent a peaceful night together, him laughing at her jokes, her mercilessly teasing him, though in a good natured way of course. Neville was quite surprised to find that he _was_ having fun, more fun than he had in a long time. Finally, it was time to leave. As he was about to get up and pay the bill, Hannah placed a hand on his shoulder. He turned to look at her.

"Neville, thank you for giving me such a wonderful night; I've never felt so happy for quite a while. Would it be too much to ask if we met up again for a casual drink; perhaps some time next week?"

_It would be fun to spend more time with friends instead of locking myself in the house all day long. It would probably make both Hannah and Gran happier too._ Nodding his agreement, he replied. "Yeah, I'd love to. I'll see you, same time next week?"

"Yeah. See you." She said softly. Leaving the still-crowded bar, nothing was able to wipe the smile smeared across her face from ear to ear.

**A/N: Whoo Hannah makes an appearance, still no Nuna but I'm leading up to it..I guess you probably know what I want to do anyway..maybe? Please leave a review to tell me what you think and/or suggestions would be great! Lots of love x**


	18. Chapter 18

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything HP.**

**Oh god, this is the longest I have been without updating since joining (which is not very long to be honest) but I am terribly, terribly sorry and I really hope you haven't given up on me yet! I didn't want to publish any 'imperfect' writing. I bet you don't really feel like hearing any of my pathetic excuse so here is the newest chapter, and I thought I've separated Neville and Luna long enough; they deserve to be back together. Hope you enjoy this chapter with a bit of Nuna fun in it, and please review! x**

**P.S. I nearly forgot to mention this! All of what happens in this chapter happens years afterwards, 'cause I wanted to get to the point since you guys have waited long enough. As always, R&R and Enjoy!**

Since I haven't updated in a millennium, here is a small (and by that I mean VERY SMALL) summary of what happened before:

Luna and Neville, after finally realizing that they were very smitten towards each other, _loved_ each other even, had developed a very steady, serious relationship. However, what they didn't anticipate was the kidnapping of Luna, which, according to hints in previous chapters, was conducted in order to get from the Lovegoods' a notebook written by Luna's mother. In the process, Luna loses her memory and meets Danny, and, as they get to know each other, spend time together, feelings between the two start to emerge, resulting in a kiss (and perhaps a more committed relationship..read on!*wink wink*). Meanwhile, Neville, who had been wasting his life away mourning over the loss of Luna, finally becomes persuaded by his Gran to take up the post as Herbology Professor at Hogwarts. At Gran's, shall we say, 'encouragement', he agrees to meet up with Hannah Abbott for a drink and they end up..well..you will see what happens once you carry on reading ;D (sneaky of me I know) This is not a very exciting account of what happened – it's just meant to revive your memories, just in case. Not that the previous chapters were all _that_ exciting either. Ha, enough of my rambling. Dun Dun Dun Dun…Here is Chapter 18!

Neville was slumped on the couch in the living room of his apartment. There was no light in the room, 'cept for flickering, dim flashes coming from a weird, metal box; a tally…_telly_-version or something like that. Hannah had brought this muggle appliance over to his apartment one day, blabbering excitedly about how wonderful it is and all the oh-so-romantic movies they could watch together on it. He sighed with content, seemingly hypnotized by the still-flickering screen. He had just watched a movie called _Atonement_ with her, which she wept the whole way through of course, before succumbing into a drowsy sleep brought on by the tears. He too had felt the tears prick the corners of his eyes, though he would never admit it to her; she would tease him endlessly about his "timid masculinity", as she liked to call it. Her head rested on his chest, broad and strong from all his years wrestling with plants and magical creatures he happened to encounter on his trips around the world. He had taken leave from his post as a Hogwarts professor. As much as he loved teaching those kids, he felt he needed a break. A _long_ break. Especially since George Weasley's son Fred had just started to train at Hogwarts as a young wizard.

Hannah shuffled slightly against him, trying to squirm into a more comfortable position. She gave a little sigh, and her arms unconsciously reached around Neville, clutching him protectively. He chuckled, careful not to let the vibrations of his chest startle her awake. His fingers wound themselves into the tendrils of the young woman's soft, blonde curls, snaking its way down the smooth, immaculate skin of her cheek, proceeding onwards to her chin, her shoulder, and then resting on her slender waist. As his hand came to a stop, his elbow jostled against something hard tucked into his pocket. Something hard and squared. He exhaled sharply. He had almost forgotten about this offending box, or rather, he had hoped to forget about it.

"_Neville dear, how long have you been dating this Miss Abbott, again?"_

"_Around..erm..let me see..2 years I guess? Why would you ask that, Gran?"_

"_You should know better! Two years steady with a perfectly nice young lady and you don't have the brains to propose to her? Dear me, Neville, I would have thought that I raised you up better than that. What's stopping you from asking her hand in marriage, hmm?"_

He let out another, deep breath. This was how he had come to possess that box. That box, within which held a small, modest diamond ring. His engagement ring for Hannah. Gran was right of course, nothing was holding him back. Nothing..except…

No. He would _not_ think of that. Of her. Hannah had sacrificed so much for him, and he knew that at the start of their relationship he probably hadn't been very good company, falling back into the bitter character he had become after the war. He would not let that, let _her_, affect their love for each other. For he did love her. And, because of this, he was going to find the courage to propose to her, once and for all. She was too good, too kind, too nice for him to hurt her in any way. And right now, he wasn't stupid enough to let her go.

Right on cue, as if she had read his mind, Hannah started stirring. Glancing up at him blearily, she smiled a sweet smile.

"Hey love" she yawned, stretching like a cat. "Sorry for falling asleep on you again. That movie was just..was just so heart breaking."

"It's okay darling. I..I have something to tell you." It was now or never. He would do it right now, he would pop the question whilst he still had the courage.

At his tone, Hannah sat up straight. All signs of former sleepiness disappeared. With her off of him, he stood up.

"Hannah dear…" he knelt on one knee. Struggling a bit to yank the box out of his jeans, he took a deep breath and said: "Will you marry me?"

Silence followed those four words. Neville felt the blood pounding in his ears. He felt alarmed when he saw tears welling in her eyes. Sputtering with nerves, words started stumbling out of his mouth of their own accord.

"Oh no..I'm sorry..I should have prepared more for this beforehand..you probably aren't ready…this really wasn't romant-"

He was cut off by when a heated kiss crashed onto his lips as Hannah flung herself at him. When they finally broke off for the need of oxygen, Hannah almost screamed with joy.

"Oh Neville Neville Neville! Yes I will! I will a thousand times! I love you so so much!" She launched herself at him again before he could register what she had just said. _Did she just…was it..a..Yes?_ Smiling into the kiss, he lifted her off her feet without breaking their kiss, spinning her around in joyous circles. Collapsing onto the couch, he pulled her onto his lap. Taking the ring out of the box, it took him several attempts before he managed to slide it onto the correct finger.

"Oh Neville." She repeated. No words could describe what she was feeling right now, and so she communicated all her feelings with her body, from her lips to his.

When they both calmed down from the exhilaration of the moment, Neville started to worry. "Hannah dear, I know this sort of proposal wasn't what you really expected..I should have had a nice dinner prepared..or some roses at least…"

"Shh." A gentle finger was placed on his lips. "Neville, this was perfect. It was more than I could ask for. I know how hard it must have been for you to ask me that question, and now I know. You really do love me too."

"Of course I love you." The little nagging finger of doubt at the back of his mind was barely noticed anymore. He was blissfully happy.

Suddenly, he bounced upright again, accidentally bumping the back of Hannah's head in the process.

"Oomph! Sorry about that" he winced at his own clumsiness, rubbing at her head to help ease the pain. "I just remembered. I have been invited onto another trip to Brazil next week by Newt, we're searching for exotic venomous trantracula. I totally forgot about that! I should probably cancel..now that..we're.."

Hannah suddenly engulfed him into another huge embrace. _He is mine. All mine_. She could hardly believe it. "Silly Neville, it's perfectly alright. Just because we're now engaged doesn't mean that we have to have the wedding so soon. We'll have a nice little lunch with Gran and my parents first to announce this news and talk over the details and stuff this week, and then we'll start planning once you get back, how about that, hm?"

He sagged with relief. He had been really looking forward to that trip. Thank god for Hannah's consideration and acceptance of his crazy passion. "Yeah, that would be great. Thanks love, or should I say…fiancée?" He gave her a little teasing smile and tickled her, both mini-wrestling and collapsing in fits of laughter.

Mia hummed a nonsensical little tune to herself as she skipped through the lush greenness of the rainforest. She had been sent on a mission of sorts by Nanny, who needed her to obtain a rare herb with mystical qualities that could not be found in China, called Chi. Over the years, word of Nanny's magical healing abilities spread far and wide and what was once a little business of hers has flourished quite splendidly. Now, customers were requesting more expensive herbs that were harder to get but Nanny never turned them down; especially in this case. A little boy had developed a unique case of something similar to chicken pox, and nothing else had been able to cure him. His parents were willing to do anything to have him healthy again, and, as a last resort, Nanny had suggested the idea of using Chi. So here Mia was, exploring this exciting new world as poor old Danny stayed behind to watch Nanny. He didn't mind that much, she could tell; Mia had always been the one to enjoy the outdoors, to go on trips all around the world, looking for new plants, herbs, and sometimes weird creatures too. Once, when she was timidly making her way through a dark creepy forest in Scotland, she swore she saw horses between the thick leaves of the trees. They weren't just any horses either. They were massive, jet black in colour, skeletal in structure and, on either side of their flanks, had enormous spindly wings. She had never seen anything like them before, yet, when she tried to step closer to take a better look at them, they seemed to dissolve in thin air. A single hoof-print was all that remained to prove to her that she had not been dreaming.

It was such encounters that she looked forward to most each time she set out for a trip. In fact, she had even written books on them, books which Danny snuck out of the house behind her back, and got them published. Surprisingly, her books were immensely popular and now she was becoming increasingly renowned as a naturalist in China.

She suddenly stopped in her tracks. In the distance, Mia was sure that she had seen something glinting. She moved her hand to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ears. There it was again! She took another step forwards before literally smacking her palm against her forehead. Silly me! She thought. It had only been the sunlight reflecting off the ring residing on her left hand ring finger. Her engagement ring. She couldn't suppress a smile from forming on her lips. She remembered the day that Danny proposed to her:

_Mia had been humming to herself softly as she peeled the carrots that were to be put into the stew. Suddenly, she heard Nanny's cries._

"_Mia, Mia, come quick. Danny – hurt – help!" She was yelling in her broken English, developed through years of living in the same house as Mia._

"_Nanny! What's wrong, where's Danny?" Her heart jumped to her throat, choking her, and she couldn't manage more than those few words._

_Nanny shakily pointed to the Danny's bedroom door before collapsing onto the sofa._

"_Oh no! Nanny! Are you okay! Here let me help y-"_

_Nanny pushed her hands away. "Go. Help Danny." Mia hesitated, but the determined look in Nanny's eye convinced her to turn around and run into the room instead. She burst through the door, expecting to find a bleeding Danny on the floor, or worse, and almost fainted when her vision was filled with shades of red and pink._

_Nearly every surface of the room was covered in pink heart shaped confetti, and floating aimlessly around were large red heart shaped balloons. Her eyes wondered around, taking them all in, before falling upon the kneeling figure in the centre of the room. Danny looked her in the eye, and, with a small smile on his face, simply said four words: Will you marry me?_

_Mia tackled him, her small fists hitting every part of him she could reach, and Danny, taken by surprise, did not defend himself. "You. Stupid. Git. You scared me to death you thoughtless prat!" He laughed merrily. "You're still laughing! Do you have any idea how afraid I was? Stupid Git!" she said again. He took both her hands into his own and pulled her towards him. "That just shows how much you care for me. Mia, I love you. I think all our experiences together, and time, has proven as much. Will you marry me?"_

_She finally relaxed her muscles, sagging against his body. Wrapping her arms around his torso, she buried her head into his neck, inhaling that familiar scent. "Yes." She whispered. "Yes I will. But only if you promise to never play a trick like that on me again."_

_Danny squeezed her tightly. "I promise. Nanny, you can come out from behind the door now." Mia looked up at that, and saw Nanny creeping away from her hiding place with a sheepish grin. "Congradulashions!" she cried, planting a kiss on both of their cheeks._

Mia smiled to herself as she thought back to that moment. Sly old Nanny, she thought. Plotting with Danny dear against me. Suddenly, she collided with something soft but firm.

"Whoa!" she yelped, almost toppling over with the impact. A hand gripped her by the wrist, steadying her.

"I'm terribly sorry" came a deep male voice. _Strange, why does that voice sound so familiar?_

Looking up with wide eyes, she saw equally large, chocolate brown eyes on a soft face, topped with sandy brown hair. The young man in front of her looked about the same age as she was, around their early twenties. He seemed frozen, staring at the arm he was clutching, opening and shutting his mouth but no words came out. Mia looked at him quizzically, gently tapping him on the shoulder.

"You seem to be infested with Nargles." She gasped when those words popped out, and, at the exact same moment, the man's face turned deathly white.

"I'm sorry..I don't know what came over me…" These bouts of strange behaviour had not haunted her for a long time, and she had no idea why she was acting this way again. She must have given this poor young man quite a scare.

"L-Luna? Is that really you?" The man had taken a step towards her, gripping both her shoulder tightly. "Luna! It really is you! I'm so glad I've finally found you! Oh Luna.."

Mia just frowned at him. She must have scared him more than she thought. Or, she had just happened to come across a completely barmy man. Squirming out of his grasp, she took a step backwards and held out an arm to stop him from coming any closer. Gently, as if comforting a child, she said "You must have made a mistake. I'm not Luna, my name is Mia."

Now, the young man was confused. "No, no, you're Luna, how could I have made a mistake? Don't you remember me anymore? I'm Neville!" He started advancing towards her again in his agitation. "Luna, please don't do this to me. I'm Neville, remember?" He tried to reach out for her again but she swatted his hand away.

"I'm sorry. I really don't know who you are…" Just as she said that, a scene flashed before her eyes. A ball. A dress. Music. Food. Pudding. And a certain brown haired boy. She gasped, and clutched her head as pain seared through her mind. As she stumbled backwards, this Neville person tried to get hold of her again. "No, no, go away, I'm not Luna, no, plea- Ahhhh!"

She lost her footing when what had been solid ground beneath her shoe fell away and became nothingness. She felt herself tumbling down, down, down into this seemingly endless pit…

**A/N: Sorry for the little cliffie here, but this will keep things a little more exciting now, won't it? ;) Next up, Neville's point of view when he stumbles across the long-lost Luna again…please review and look out for my next chapter! x**


	19. Chapter 19

**DISCLAIMER: as usual, I don't own anything HP.**

**Here is another chapter I promised AlixJackson. It may not entirely be what you guys look for in a Nuna fanfic, but I just like to let the story and ideas flow, so please forgive the OOC-ness of any characters. I just prefer this kind of writing rather than planning and thinking and going over every little word and action the characters say/do in my story 'cause that just takes the fun out of it. Enjoy, and please R&R! x**

**The following events are seen more through Nev's POV, and kind of recounts what happened in the last chapter before moving on…**

Neville had been peering intensely at a little shrub with weird spiky leaves. Newt, who had been the one to originally pull him along on this trip (not that he was complaining), was off somewhere in the distance, doing his own exploring. _Hmm, this plant looks a little like the venomous trantracula. Or it could be an innocent shrub, that had been trampled on one too many times…_Just as he straightened up to ponder on how to deal with his recent finding, he felt something pummel into his chest. Or rather, a very familiar looking _someone_. He felt the air knocked out of him, but, out of instinct, still managed to reach out and grab the petite figure before she toppled over.

"I'm terribly sorry" he said. His voice seemed to have a weird effect on the girl as she whipped her head up to stare at him. The moment he laid his eyes on her face, took in those silvery grey eyes, that dirty blonde hair he used to love to curl his fingers in so much, he was rendered speechless. Then, his eyes fell on the ring on her finger. For a moment, it seemed as if his heart stopped working. _I must be dreaming. Side effects from having just proposed to another girl..yeah..that must be it. It can't be her. I've been waiting so long…this just can't be real. It can't be her…can it? She..she has a ring too. Does that mean..?_ He didn't even dare to pursue that thought.

However, all of his efforts to convince himself otherwise were useless with her next words. "You seem to be infested with Nargles." Those seven simple words sounded like music to his ears, and seemed to wake his heart up from its temporary slumber. It was now beating erratically, out of control, and filled with an intense longing so great he felt as if he were about to combust. It's her. That much he was sure of. It's her it's her it's her…he felt his eyes widen with wonder and his mouth curve into a smile. Involuntarily, he took a step towards her, reaching out as if to make sure she was real. A real life being in front of him, and not just an illusion. A scene he had pictured a million times in his mind, imagining again and again the euphoria they would both feel when they found each other again.

"L-Luna?" He heard his own voice wavering, cracking with emotion. "Is that really you?" he could take it no more, closing the distance between them and engulfing her into a tight bear hug. He had forgotten how good it felt to have her soft, supple body in his arms, her cheek pressed against him. This contact seemed to bring all his senses to life, and the numbness he had not even noticed over the years was lifted. With her by his side, he finally felt alive again.

Mentally, he was thanking the gods, angels and other higher forces up there that had given him this chance to see her again, to feel her again. Gratitude filled his every pore, and he still felt as if he were existing between reality and reverie. As if to assure himself, he found himself repeating her name over and over again.

"Luna! It really is you! I'm so glad I've finally found you! Oh Luna.."her name tumbled out of his mouth easily and it felt like it had been hardly yesterday that he had had her in his arms last. All this time lost between them was nothing, nothing as long as he had her with him.

However, to his complete bewilderment, Luna only stiffened in his hold, prising his arms away from her and taking a large step back. He felt his whole body tense up, his heart, his poor poor heart seared with blinding pain, as an invisible knife slashed at it mercilessly again and again, leaving it in tatters. He gasped at the burning sensation in his chest, and clutched his heart when the words he never wanted to hear fell upon his ears. "You must have made a mistake." He wanted to protest, but his mouth, his voice, wasn't his anymore. He was reduced to nothing with those simple words.

The angel before him, who resembled Luna so much it broke his heart, carried on. "I'm not Luna. My name is Mia." The gentle caressing tone with which she spoke brought him out of his stunned stupor.

"No, no, you're Luna, how could I have made a mistake? Don't you remember me anymore? I'm Neville!" He was practically yelling. Why was she saying these things that didn't make sense? Of course she was Luna, how could he be mistaken? Why was she doing this to him..didn't she understand how much agony he had gone through whilst she was away? He had been to hell and back for her..he wasn't going to let her go so easily this time. Never again, he promised himself.

He started advancing towards her again in his agitation. "Luna, please don't do this to me. I'm Neville, remember?" He tried to reach out for her again but she swatted his hand away. No – no – no…these words of denial was all that ran through his head. Her voice seemed to be coming from somewhere far off, and sounded as if a he were listening from the other side of the wall. "I'm sorry. I really don't know who you are…"

She was lying, she was lying! _How could she have forgotten about me…forgotten about us?_ His hand reached out of his own accord again. She backed away, true fear emerging in her eyes. "No, no, go away, I'm not Luna, no, plea-" All of a sudden, the ground beneath her seemed to disappear and she was falling down down down, screaming.

"No! Luna No! _Wingardium Leviosa_!" He didn't even know when he had whipped his wand out, but suddenly found himself levitating the frightened woman back to safety. He lightly placed her back on the ground and rushed to her side. "Luna! Are you okay?" Concern rolled off of him in waves and he began to frantically check her for injuries. When he finally was satisfied that she was fine apart from a few bruises, he looked up and was faced with shocked fear reflected in her eyes.

Tentatively he reached out and stroked her cheek. It felt so good, so soft under his finger. Despite the dirt that clung to her skin and matted her hair, she looked gorgeous. As stunningly beautiful as always. "Are..are you okay?" he repeated.

Silence followed his question, but he didn't want to push her; she had barely blinked in all the time he had saved her from her fall. Finally, she opened her mouth, and Neville barely caught her next words.

"What was that?"

Neville felt confused for a moment. What was wha-oh! She must be talking about that pit. "Hmm..I think that it's a trap of sorts, you know, for the local people to hunt for food and all that. Pretty dangerous things to leave arou-"

"No." she cut him off. Pointing at his wand still tightly clenched in his fit, she said "I meant _that_."

"Huh?" Was his quick reply. _Wow, very witty, Neville. Way to impress a girl after years of pining after her._ With no more immediate danger, he felt the need to chastise himself. "This? It's my wand of course."

"Your what?" she exclaimed. She must not have heard him clearly..did he just say it was his _wand_? "Oh…your..wand. I see." She tried to recover herself, but it was obvious that she did _not_ see at all.

"You..you don't know what a wand is?" This time, it was Neville's turn to be shocked. What was this all about? Luna had been more at ease with a wand than he was in all their time at Hogwarts and now she didn't even know what it was? Could it be that-

Her voice interrupted his thoughts. "Well..no. But I'm sure it's a very useful..thing." She said brightly. After her initial shock at having been confronted by this young man, she was beginning to warm to him. Sure, he was strange, but who wasn't? _He's probably as sane as I am_, she thought bemusedly.

_Useful thing?_ He gave a chuckle. Trust Luna to just take everything in her stride. At least she didn't seem as intimidated by him now. "L-Luna" he said timidly. Backtracking, he decided to ask instead, "I can call you Luna, right?"

_He sure is hell-bent on calling me Luna. Who is this Luna girl anyway?_ She wondered. Still, she regretted her harsh reaction towards him earlier, and now felt even guiltier as he had turned around and saved her life. "Sure." She beamed at him. "Oh and..thank you for saving my life. I guess I was scared by you at first…but I can tell that you are a nice man." She said with a smile.

By now, Neville had realized that though this woman in front of him looked like her, spoke like her, and god knows, was as gentle and caring and, well..truthful as her, it was not the same Luna that left him all those years ago. Something had changed inside her; she didn't even seem to know who she used to be. Yet, the notion that this _was_ Luna was never questioned. There could be no other. "Have you…lost your memory?" the words flowed out before he had even registered what he had been trying to avoid thinking all this time. With a pang in his heart, he remembered seeing the ring on her finger. Yes, this was the most rational reason for all that had happened.

"I think so." There was a dreamy quality in her voice as she thought about his question with amused curiosity. "I just remember waking up in China a few years ago and meeting Danny." Absentmindedly, she fingered her ring.

_Danny. He must be the one she is with right now…and…she doesn't remember anything about..us_. He couldn't even bring it in himself to hate the guy. No wonder Luna was so frightened when he kept insisting that she was the Luna he knew. The poor thing probably thought I was stark raving mad. "I'm terribly sorry for coming at you like that, it was stupid of me. You just..look a lot like a girl I used to know. A girl I used to, now, scratch that, a girl I love immensely, and still do. The problem is…some years ago, this girl suddenly left me and I..it just tore me apart I guess." He ended quietly. He felt the need to tell her about them, about what they shared. Even if she didn't acknowledge it as her past. _Maybe, just maybe, if I talk to her about our past, she will start to regain her memories. Isn't that what always happens in those muggle romantic movies that Hannah always forces me to watch?_ Dread filled his whole body, to the very core. _Hannah! Oh dear, how am I going to break the news to her? I can't..I can't just leave her. She is my fiancée for god's sake. But it can't be denied…I am still very much in love with this woman in front of me right now._

Right on cue, Luna gently laid a hand on his arm, bringing him back to reality. "I'm sorry about that. If it really helps, you can always pretend that I am her." She didn't know what else to say, but the fact that this man confessed his heart break to her made her own heart twinge with concern. It didn't cross her mind that she didn't know anything about this man apart from his name. All of her being just told her that he needed help, love and care, and she was the only one that could heal him.

Before she could further her thoughts, another unfamiliar male voice sounded. "Hey Neville! Hannah just sent her patronus to me! Your Gran's illness has relapsed…you need to get back there, fast!" Neville paled at his words and immediately clambered off the forest floor. Without a word of explanation to Luna, he gripped the other man's arm and twisted on the spot, vanishing from sight.

Luna sat staring at the spot where the two men had just vanished. _Well, that was interesting,_ she thought. She wished that she could have done something for that man called Neville thought. It was clear that he was still hurting inside. She too picked herself off the forest floor where she and Neville had just had their exchange, and carried on with her search of Chi. It was useless, though, as a certain sandy haired young man kept entering her thoughts.

**A/N: Not my best piece of writing yet, I admit. I found it very hard to write between the two POVs but now at least I've got this little event off my hands. Moving onto something more dramatic in the next chapter, keep reading on! Please review too…even if it's just a simple comment on my writing. I myself choose stories to read based on the number of review it has so this would mean a lot to me. x**


	20. Chapter 20

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything HP.**

**Thanks for all the lovely reviews, as you can see, I'm updating more frequently to make up for my absence before so..yeah..read, review and enjoy!**

Neville felt his heart thud loudly and painfully in his chest. Not the irregular, pleasant flutter when he had first seen Luna again, but one that spelled fear. Gran was the only living relative he had left, the only true relative he had, really, since his mother and father were tortured into insanity by that bitch. They had long since passed away, peacefully and hopefully ignorant of the cruel ways of life. All he had was Gran. _Let her be okay, if not, just let me see her one last time, please. No, no, I shouldn't be thinking this way. Gran is strong, she'll make it through. Heck, she even battled Death Eaters in the Second Wizarding War…she's a tough one. She'll be alright._ He raced through the all-too-familiar corridors of St. Mungo's to ward 545. Bursting through the door panting, his eyes fell upon the frail figure underneath the blankets.

Before he could even say a word, his Gran cut in first, "Now, Neville dear, is this really the way you should be behaving in a hospital?" Her tone was stern and disapproving but the twinkle in her eyes told him otherwise. Neville collected himself, straightening his clothes and hair before striding quickly to his Gran's side.

"Sorry Gran. I guess I was just anxious about seeing you. How're you feeling?"

"I'm feeling perfectly fine, dear. Whoever told you that I'm not? It'll take more than a measly illness to keep me away from my dearest grandson."

"I know Gran, the toughest gal around as always", Neville managed with a small smile. She looked slightly pale and peckish, but apart from that, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. He was exhausted to the core, what with his unexpected meeting with Luna and news that his Gran had fainted, alone, at home. Thank god for Hannah, who had called around to check up on her whilst he was away, or else, who knew what could have happened to her…

Banishing these thoughts from his mind, he barely caught Gran's next words.

"…dear, are you feeling quite alright? You look as if you've just seen a ghost!"

Neville chuckled. Trust Gran to see right through him. Ever since he started dating Hannah and bringing her home, Gran had been learning all sorts of muggle phrases from her; it wasn't all that strange to see a ghost in the wizarding world, after all. "Well, not exactly a ghost…" he started, not sure of how to break the news to her, "more of a…long lost person."

Immediately, Gran understood. "You've seen Luna?" she asked sharply.

"Not so much seen, but stumbled upon" he replied wryly. He couldn't suppress a grin from forming on his lips when he remembered the first time he had really, really noticed Luna. That day, when he had tripped over her in one of the Hogwarts hallways, and had very wittily exploded pus from his Mimbulus Mimbletonia all over the two of them. They had been through so much since, yet he couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret. If only he had realized that she was the one earlier…perhaps none of this would have happened. It was irrational, but he couldn't help but blame himself, and his harsh attitude towards her at that time.

"Well, what did she say then? Why hasn't she been in contact with anyone, not even her own father, Xenophillius Lovegood, ever since her disappearance?" Gran asked quickly, impatient to hear more from him.

"Gran, it wasn't her fault. She was kidnapped. By who, I'm still not sure. She seems to have lost her memory about the whole ordeal though, about her whole past, about… us." He felt devoid of energy when he thought of that again. How could she have forgotten? What, exactly, has she been through all these years since that incident? He felt a burning rage towards her captors. If it weren't for them, he would be living happily with Luna right now, perhaps married and with kids. He knew that he had not imagined what they had before; they were in love, and they were meant to be together.

"I need to find her Gran. I need to get her back. We shouldn't…this shouldn't have happened to us, and I'm not going to let her go again."

Gran looked at him with pity. _Oh Neville. Life isn't that simple. And it certainly hasn't been very nice to you either. The rare love you had with Luna…will that be enough?_ Voicing her more practical concerns, she said, "What about Hannah, then? You're just going to leave her, right after proposing?" She didn't want to burden him further, but this was something that needed to be addressed.

"I..I…"Neville stuttered, at a loss for words. "I don't know. What I do know is that, I won't ever be happy with Hannah with the knowledge that Luna is still alive and well. Hannah could never replace her…here" He indicated the place where his heart was, in his chest.

Instead of looking disappointed, Gran looked proud when he said that. "That's more like it. Go for it Neville! You've got to fight for what you want, for what you believe in! God knows you've been deprived of too much, all your life. I'm sure Hannah will understand."

This was all the approval he needed to hear. Bounding from the room, he stopped mid step, turning around, rushed back to his Gran and gave her a peck on the cheek. "You'll be alright, here?" She nodded. "All those annoying Healers will be fussing over me, don't you worry. Run along now."

"Thank you." And with that, he was out of the room.

First thing he did was stop by Harry's office. Harry had been appointed Head Auror after a mere 2 years of work, not that he didn't rightly deserve this position, of course. And thank god for that, as he was probably the only person that could help Neville right now.

Once inside, he started talking. "Harry you've got to help me you're the only one that can right now and my whole future is in your hands I saw Luna when I was on another of my herbology travels in Brazil and she's alive Harry, can you believe it? She seems to have lost her memory though and she didn't remember who I was but I need to fight for her Harry, she is all I ever wanted, you've got to help me she said something about living in China but I didn't manage to ask exactly where and I think she called herself something like Mia? I guess that's her new name 'cause she can't remember that she's called Luna and she's ENGAGED Harry, or possibly even married though that looked more like an engagement ring but either way I need to find her Harry, I need her to know that I love her." He said all of this in one breath, not even realizing that there was unwelcome company in the room.

Harry and Malfoy, yes, as in Draco Malfoy, had been deep in conversation when Neville had flung the door open and started going on and on about something, something that sounded distinctly like…"Luna? You've found Luna? Oh my god, Neville that's great!" Harry exclaimed. He turned back to Malfoy, dismissing him with a curt nod, which was returned. Malfoy gracefully side stepped Neville who had been standing in the middle of the doorway with his mouth open.

"So Neville, I'm afraid I didn't quite catch everything you said, you were going on about it at the speed of light I swear." Harry prompted Neville, gesturing at him to take a seat. Neville took a deep breath, and tried to say it all coherently.

"I met Luna again, in a rainforest in Brazil on one of my travels. She's still alive and looking quite well, but she seems to have lost her memory. She doesn't know who she is, who I am, or even what _magic_ is." Neville shook his head in disbelief. "She's going by the name Mia now, I believe, and is currently living in China. I don't have a specific location, I didn't have the chance to ask her, but I need to find her Harry. I just need to. And I need your help in order to do so." The pleading in his voice was evident, and there was no way for Harry to turn his old friend down.

"Okay, China is a large country and so this might take some time but I will use my contacts to try to track her down. I'll let you know once I hear something. Do you have any more information you can give me?" Harry asked, jotting everything Neville just said onto a piece of parchment.

"I think she is engaged with a guy called Danny. Probably..living with him too." His voice cracked and his fists clenched at the thought of someone else being with his Luna. His Luna. He was being selfish, he knew, but there was nothing he could do about it.

Harry stared at him for a second. "Oh..okay. I'll owl or Patronus you when they get back to me, depending on what they tell me. You should probably go back now, and tell your Gran and Hannah about this. They will want to know."

Neville sighed. "Gran knows about it already, and she's all for it. Hannah…I'll have to talk to her about it now. Thank you for helping me with all this, though."

He exited the room with a heavy heart, very well aware of the consequences of what he was about to do.

He opened the door of his apartment. Sure enough, Hannah was sitting there, in the dark, with her face in her hands. At the sound of the door opening, Hannah jerked upright, and Neville felt his heart pang with guilt when he saw that she had been crying. Tear streaks were evident on her face and she looked like she hadn't slept or eaten in a while. Hardening himself, he crossed the room to her. He had to do it, even though it would break both their hearts in the process. It was better to end things earlier, to save her the pain of finding out about it herself.

"Hannah." He gathered her in his arms, where she started to sob freely against his chest.

"Neville, oh Neville, I was so scared. I went to her cottage to find her lying on the floor, and I thought…I thought…" she couldn't bear to continue.

Neville shushed her, rocking back and forth in a comforting rhythm. "It's okay now, she's okay…" he said over and over again. Finally, her tears subsided and she wiped at her eyes hastily, embarrassed.

Looking up at his face, she saw the pain etched across it. She gently placed a palm to his cheek. "Neville, are you alright?" this was the second time he had been asked that question today; clearly he wasn't looking his best right now.

"Yeah, I'm fine. There's something I have to tell you, though." He paused, wondering how he should tell her.

"Go on." 

"When..when I was in Brazil, I saw someone. Someone I hadn't seen in a long time. And..she…"

He felt Hannah freeze in his embrace. She knew where this was going and she didn't want to hear it. Clapping her hands over her ears, she said "no, no, no, no" like a painful mantra. It was her worst fears coming true.

He took her hands in his and brought them down. "Hannah, you have to hear me through. I saw Luna. She doesn't remember who she is anymore, and she's living in China, but I'm going to try my best to find her again. I've already asked Harry for his help, and Gran..well..Gran told me to fight for what I want."

Tears glided silently down her face, and for some reason, this was harder to watch than when her whole body was wracking with sobs for his Gran. "Does that mean..we're over?" she whispered.

Neville merely nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

"No, no, I don't want to hear it! We can't be over, I love you Neville! I love you!" she shrieked hysterically. "You proposed, we were supposed to be marrying soon..why..why…" She was clutching at her hair, pulling at the tendrils, enforcing pain on herself to stop her from feeling the pain in her heart. She buckled over, a fist pressed tightly against her chest to numb the overwhelming pain that filled her whole body. This couldn't be happening…she had been so happy, happier then she'd ever been, these last few days. She should have known it was too good to last.

She gasped, her voice hoarse from crying and screaming. "What if..what if she doesn't want you anymore? She doesn't remember who you are Neville, what if she doesn't love you anymore? Don't leave me, please. I'm the one that loves you! She'll just leave you behind again!" She pleaded. This was her last card, the only thing that might keep Neville by her side now.

Neville pulled her to him. It hurt him to see her like that but he needed to do it. He needed her to know why, too. It would be even more painful for her if he deceived her. "Hannah, I can't do this to you. I can't selfishly keep you by my side knowing full well that I still love Luna. We were…never meant to be, I guess. Even if she doesn't accept me, I can't use you to replace her. It wouldn't be fair to you, don't you understand?"

"No. No, I don't understand. I hate you, I hate you, Neville Longbottom!" She wrenched the engagement ring he had just given her recently off her finger and threw it at him, before flouncing out of the room.

Neville collapsed onto the couch. This was proving to be a very long day. He would rest awhile, but there was more work to be done in his quest to find Luna.

**A/N: Hope the characters weren't too OOC, this chapter was quite..dramatic I would say; I enjoyed writing Hannah's hysterics (I'm evil I know). Please review, and thank you for reading! x**


	21. Chapter 21

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything HP.**

**I am committing suicide with updating all the time and not doing school work but, whatever. I'm enjoying myself, and I hope you are too! **

Danny heard the door creaking open. Someone was fumbling at the entrance, and a small thump indicated that a large cloth bag was carelessly deposited on the wooden floor. Even without turning towards the noise, he knew who it was.

"Hey, love." He said as he felt a pair of slender arms snake their way across his waist. He reached behind him and pulled the person onto his lap. Mia laughed merrily, a lovely tinkle to the sound, and replied "One of these days, you are going to pull a complete stranger straight onto your lap; just imagine how awkward that would be!"

Danny looked at her with mock seriousness, pretending to be appalled by her words. "Impossible!" he proclaimed. "There is no way I would confuse my fiancée with any other person." He planted a light kiss onto her lips. _Fiancée. He could get used to calling her that_. Her petite body felt so good against his; their two bodies fitted into each other perfectly.

After a while of comfortable silence, Mia brought up something that had been bothering her for a while. "Danny?"

"Mmm?" he gave a grunt, telling her to continue.

"Remember that time in the alley when we were attacked by those thugs? For a moment there…you were connected to my mind right? You heard my name, my real name..before..all this happened."

"Yeah…" he trailed off, not sure where this conversation was going. It had been a painful experience for the two of them, and since then, neither had really talked about the incident. They were happy with the life they led right now. At least, he was happy. He sincerely hoped that Mia felt that way too.

"What is my name?"

"Mia of course."

She sighed. He was not helping at all. "My real name, Danny."

"I think it was something like..Moona? No wait, was it Luna?"

A spark of recognition flashed through her mind. "So what he said was true. All of it. Those memories…" she said this more to herself than to her present company, but he heard it all.

"What's wrong Mia? Who are you talking about?" She did not respond, and Danny did not like this at all. He thought they had come to a stage where they could unconditionally trust and confide with each other. "You know you can tell me anything, right?"

"Yeah. I know that. It's not important anyway. It's just that…I met this young man in Brazil. He said that he knew who I was. He knew my real name. What if he holds the answers to my past?" Though she had already grown used to the idea of memory loss, there was always this nagging hope within her that one day, one day she would be able to rediscover her true identity. She felt disconnected to the world, with no blood relatives, no background, no wealth, no nothing. When she was with Nanny and Danny, she had tried to suppress these thoughts. But after meeting..Neville..they couldn't help but resurface once more.

Danny had not said a word since she told him of her encounter, and she came to realize that her words might have upset him. "Danny?" She turned around on his lap to look clearly at his face. Her heart ached for the troubled frown formed between his eyebrows. "Danny, I meant nothing with that. It's not important anymore. I was just..curious." She settled herself into Danny's chest again. The past was unimportant.

Neville was standing before a small stone hut in one of Shanghai's dingy streets. He double checked the address. Yup, there was no mistake. After two weeks of searching on the part of aurors and officials in China, he had finally managed to find the whereabouts of Mia. This was the house he was looking for. Looking up at the stone walls and the rickety wooden door again, he allowed himself an amused smile. This hut reminded him of Hagrid.

Just as he was about to raise a fist to knock on the large wooden door, it opened of its own accord, and a young woman stepped out. For a moment, time stopped, and neither moved at all. Finally, she gave him a smile.

"Fancy seeing you here…Neville." His name sounded like music to his ears when uttered by her, and he was entranced. When he still didn't respond, Mia started to look worried. "Neville? Are you quite alright? Wrackspurts fuzzing up your brain?"

He snorted at that. That was just so..Luna. And he missed her so much. Embarrassed, he stuttered over his words, "I..I…" After all the effort put into this quest, when he actually came face to face with her, he found himself at a loss for words. All of his well-rehearsed speech seemed to have leaked out of his mind. Maybe she was right about the wrackspurts after all.

"Hi" was all he could manage.

"Did you want to talk, Neville? Come on inside." She was just about to go out to bring in the clothes as it looked like it was about to rain, but she could easily do that later. She seemed to intuitively know that he had come all the way just to see her, to talk to her, and though he couldn't really find the right words yet, she knew that everything would be explained if she just gave him some time. How she knew of all this, though, was another matter.

When both of them were seated comfortably, with hot cups of tea in front of them, she went straight to the point. "Neville, were we ever in love?"

He should have expected this of course. She was Luna after all. Whilst it was quite an awkward question to answer as he had not forgotten about the ring on her finger, he decided honesty would be best. "Yes. We had not always been infatuated with each other, and there was a time when I had been horrible to you. I regret that immensely of course, and even though we got together in the end, I never truly forgave myself for treating you that way." He looked so downtrodden that Mia couldn't help but reach out and place a hand on top of his.

"That's okay. I forgive you." He looked up at her, and she gave him a smile. "Can you..can you tell me about how we met?"

This was more difficult to answer. If she had forgotten everything about her past, her background, her family, her friends, how was he supposed to explain it to her? Maybe it would be better to ask her a question of his own, to test the waters. "Luna, do you believe in magic?"

"Sure. Why shouldn't I? How else could I explain the way I warded off those thugs? Or how I brought Danny home when he was injured? Or how we stumbled upon each other again, when we probably live halfway across the world? None of this could happen if there wasn't a greater force out there controlling it."

Neville was confused. Warding off thugs? Bringing Danny home? What was she talking about? "What do you mean? Have you used magic before, to protect yourself?"

"Yeah..I guess you can say that."

"Luna. I think I should tell you everything. From the start." And so came the whole story. He told her _everything_, from the way they met in fourth year at Hogwarts, to their time in Dumbledore's Army, the Battle of Hogwarts, the first time he truly noticed her, the time he asked her to be his girlfriend, and finally, the ball and her disappearance. Though it was probably hard for Luna to accept, she never once interrupted, instead, simply gazed at him with mild interest. Tiny thoughts, memories really, were snaking into her mind, and she could picture the scenes he told her of.

"Do you remember any of this, any of the things I'm telling you about?"

"I…" She was interrupted by the front door slamming. All of a sudden, Danny was in between the two of them, glaring at Neville whilst standing in front of Mia protectively.

"Who are you and what do you want?" he demanded.

Mia stood up and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Danny, this is Neville. The young man I met in Brazil?" Danny gave her a curt nod of recognition but did not relax his stance.

"What do you want?" he repeated. It didn't feel right. Mia was obviously not from China, and if this Neville guy was a part of her past, god knows how far he had travelled just to find her. His motives were very, very suspicious.

Neville raised his arms in surrender. "Hey, hey. Relax. I just…" He faltered. Just what _did_ he hope to achieve by finding Luna again? Did he expect to just whisk her away from this..this _Danny's_ side, and have a happily ever after? She obviously cared for him. He sighed. "I just wanted to see Luna again. You must understand…all those years ago…she suddenly disappeared from my side, and now that I finally get a chance to see her again, I just wanted to see how she was doing."

Danny snorted. _As if_. Neville was a threat to Mia, to him. He could see from the way he was looking at Mia just now; the love in his eyes was evident. Like Mia was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. The tenderness. The way his whole face glowed when Mia smiled or laughed. It just didn't feel right, and he didn't want this guy in his house a moment longer. "Okay, you've had your happy reunion, now please get out."

Mia was surprised. Danny was usually very polite, and great with strangers. Why was he suddenly so cold towards Neville? "Danny?"

He looked into her eyes for the first time since barging into the house, and she saw the fear in his eyes. He looked like a child with his insecurities, and she understood why. "Danny.." she rubbed a hand in soothing circles on his back. "It's okay, we were just chatting. Old friends catching up you know? It's not like he is going to take me away from you. You know how much I wanted to know about my past." It was the first time she had said it aloud; it had always been a sensitive topic. But, she thought, Danny had the right to know.

Turning to Neville again, she apologized. "Sorry, Danny is just being a bit overprotective. Not that he needs to. We're going to be married next month."

Neville felt as if the whole world was crashing around him. _One month_. That was all the time he had left. _What am I talking about? Am I really going to take her away from him? Woo her back? They are both obviously in love…but my heart is with her. Always was, always will. I can't just let her go._ Mustering all the courage he could, he directly addressed Danny.

"I would say congratulations, but that would be a lie. I won't put up any pretence anymore. I love Luna, and I've never truly let her go. Not even during all this time since she disappeared. I will never be happy without another woman, and, as along as she remains unmarried, I will do my very best to bring her back to me."

Danny pulled himself to his full height, furious. Just who did he think he was? Coming into his house, chatting up his wife-to-be and coming upright with his threats? His fists were clenched so tightly all his veins were in relief, and all that was stopping him from punching the daylight out of this bastard in front of him was Mia's restraining hand on his arm.

"Get. Out." Neville did not budge. He knew he deserved to be beaten to pulp with what he just said, but it would be worth it. He needed Luna to understand that he was very, very serious this time. Looking up at her, he saw her nod, telling him to leave before things got worse.

"I'm not going to give up so easily, Luna." He stared at her for a long while, committing the shape of her face, the exact shade of her hair, her mouth…her eyes to memory. Nodding to himself, he finally walked away. Just before he exited the front door, though, he swore he heard a very quiet "thank you."

Neither Mia nor Danny spoke to each other for a long time.

**A/N: Just felt like writing this chapter, it's a bit shorter than usual though. How was it? I thought that it would be nice for Neville to summon some of his "killing-nagini-in-front-of-voldy" courage and fight for what he wants for once. I would love it if you guys could give me some suggestions on how he could woo Luna back. Thanks for reading! x**


	22. Chapter 22

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything HP.**

**Another fast update, courtesy of who gave me inspiration for writing this short chapter! Enjoy x**

Neither moved for a long time. Finally, Mia broke the silence.

"Danny..what's wrong?" she prompted innocently. For in truth, she had no clue as to why Danny was so livid. She merely had a nice conversation with someone from her past. Sure, this someone used to be in love with her, but she would have thought that Danny knew better, knew that she loved him and him alone.

At this point, Danny finally looked up, glaring at her. "What's wrong? You tell me what's wrong! Letting strangers into the house, talking with them like you're best buddies already..!" He fumed.

"What are you talking about? Neville is not a stranger, he used to know me. I'm sure of it."

"Yeah, go and cuddle up with him then."

"Why would I do that? I'm engaged to you." She was simply pointing out the obvious, but he still caught the hurt laced in her voice.

This statement seemed to enrage him even more. Why right did _she_ have to act hurt? She wasn't the one coming home to her worst fear: the sight of her fiancé chatting up a long lost friend, and seemingly having a great time too. "Ha! All this crap they talk about, capturing the love of your life with a ring…All of that is proving to be nonsense, isn't it? It sure hasn't stopped you from meeting new…old guys." He spat. This wasn't what he had envisioned his engagement with Mia to be like. In his mind, it would have simply been him, her and Nanny, living a comfortable life together in the small stone house as they used to. He imagined coming home to her embrace, her kiss every night. He imagined the two of them snuggling up together in bed, talking about anything and everything, the way they used to. Not this. Never this.

"Danny.." she brushed away his anger. She knew why he was like this, she understood him better than anyone else. And she was going to make it better. "You do know that I love you right?" When he didn't reply, she carried on, "This thing with Neville is nothing. We were just becoming acquainted with each other again. He's just a friend; it's entirely platonic." She took his hand in his, just to prove her point.

"Yeah, well he doesn't seem to be thinking the same thing, does he?"

"He does seem to harbor some feelings for me…" she stated, "but it doesn't mean that I return those feelings-"

"Stop acting innocent, okay, Mia? I've seen the way the two of you look at each other." He jabbed a finger at her. "Don't think I don't know. I saw into your mind that day, remember? I felt those feelings you felt when he emerged in your mind so don't tell me, don't you _dare_ tell me that you only think of him as a friend, or as a brother and other bullshit like that."

His outburst scared her. In truth, she had never seen him act this way; he had always been so gentle with her, even when she stupidly led them into traps and danger. He had always been there for her, he had taken her in – a lost girl in the middle of the street. She knew that he cared for her deeply, and she did too, but, after he said all those things, the tiniest tendrils of doubt started creeping into her mind. She was always so sure of herself, so sure of _them_, but now…

Seeing her lack of response, Danny just gave a dark chuckle. "Hit all the right points, then, didn't I? Maybe we shouldn't be doing thi-"

"Wait, what?" Mia finally opened her mouth. "What do you mean we shouldn't be doing this?"

"This." He said simply, gesturing at the house in general. "Living together, being together…being engaged with each other."

For once in her life, Mia faltered. "Y-You…you want to b-break off the engagement?" she choked.

"Yes." He didn't even look up at her and it broke her heart.

"No. No, I won't let you do this. I love you Danny-" she hated the sound of pleading in her voice but she couldn't believe her ears. Expect the unexpected. It had always been her motto, but this..this was just…unbelievable. "You can't mean that."

"Yes I can, and I am saying exactly that. Let's just call it quits for a while..take a break from each other and just think about what we're doing." She tried to protest again but he just held up a hand to stop her. "I'm serious about this Mia." Still boring his eyes onto the floor, he briskly left the small hut, slamming the door behind him.

He didn't hear her timid whisper, "O-Okay." If he had, he might not have left at all.

Danny felt his heart thudding in his chest. He didn't know where he was going; he just felt the need to _go_, to move, to put as much distance between him and Mia as possible. _Thud thud thud_. With each step, he felt a heavy blow in his chest, and each centimeter placed between the two of them was a tear in his heart. He didn't want to do this, of course he didn't. He loved her. He would die without her. But he had no choice.

He wasn't blind and neither was he stupid. He saw the way they looked at each other, and it was the exact same way he looked at Mia. He knew she cared deeply for him, loved him even but it wasn't the same. What she had with Neville was special. And he felt it his duty to prove his love to her – if he really loved her as much as he claimed, he would willingly let her go. If that was what she wanted, what she _truly_ wanted, he would comply.

He finally stopped and collapsed on the sidewalk. His thighs felt as if they were on fire. Letting out a low groan, he sank his face into his arms, and willed his eyes to keep the tears at bay. How could he have done that to her? She won't ever take him back now..not after the things he said…

"No." He said aloud, to himself. "You made the decision Danny. You have to give her time to think things out – if you were meant to be, she would naturally come back to you. It's not fair…" he stumbled at this, "not fair that you should keep her tied by your side when she could have so much better with _him_." He felt as if he was convincing himself, more than anything, that what he was doing was right, and snorted bitterly. It was too late to change anything now.

Standing up, he started walking again, in search for a cheap inn in which he could spend the night.

**A/N: **_**reeaalllyy**_** short chapter but hoped you liked it anyway! Remember to leave a review to give me suggestions/tell me about things you want to see in later chapters and…see you in the next chapter! x**


	23. Chapter 23

**IT'S A MIRACLE! She's back! She hasn't died after all!**

**LOL Hi guys hope you haven't completely forgotten about me yet. I know I've been a complete arsehole for disappearing off the face of earth and leaving this story hanging for like A MONTH (I know, I'm a horrible person) so I'd understand if you want to give me the silent treatment. Here's the next chapter ( I can't believe I'm at chapter 23 already!). Read, enjoy, and hopefully..review? Pretty please?**

**DISCLAIMER: once again, anything you recognize from the HP series is clearly not mine. **

It had been a few days since Neville had appeared at Luna's doorstep without prior warning. He felt it would have been better to let things cool for a while…Danny had obviously not been very pleased at the sight of him and he didn't want to make Luna upset. He had woken up that morning feeling refreshed. The sun was shining, but there was still a light breeze playing along the branches of the trees scattered across the pebble paths outside. The perfect weather for a walk along the river.

As he walked, fragments of thoughts flitted through his head. Luna..Mia..God, it was so confusing. This new Mia looked exactly the same as his Luna, but she was different, too. She held herself differently, prouder, and her eyes twinkled with good humour, rather than the mistiness that was always present in Luna's silvery orbs. He could tell that this Mia was more social, happier, friendlier, and seemed in touch with the rest of the world. Not that Luna was not, he thought hastily. She was happy and friendly in her own way, but many people didn't seem to understand her. They didn't see her the way he did, a rare, precious jewel that twinkled in its own special way. Others only saw the coating of grim that hid her true beauty. And he disliked them for that.

If Luna was still Luna, would Danny have fallen in love with her? He pondered. Neville liked to think that the feelings he had for Luna were special, feelings that no one else could reciprocate. The Luna he knew, too, loved him for him. Not for the heroic things he did in the war, but for him. The klutzy side of him. The side that was always so uncertain of himself, and she made him learn to love himself too.

A sparkle caught his eye. He turned to see that it was the sun reflecting off the surface of the river, gossamer ripples flowing silvery and light, not in any particular pattern or rhythm. Kind of like Luna, he mused to himself.

Another darker figure sitting on the river bank with her toes dipped precariously in the water loomed into view. Luna? Was she on his mind so much that he was having hallucinations of her too?

The girl turned around as if she heard his thoughts. It was Luna, alright. The sunlight caught her pale ivory hair just so, making it glow with angelic light. She gave him a small smile. His heart started thudding, and immediately the sweat pores of his hands started working furiously, pumping sweat until it coated the entire inner surface of his palms. Nervously rubbing his hands against his shirt, he made his way over to her, cursing himself for physiologically responding like a thirteen year old teenage boy with too large an amount of hormones for his own good.

When he reached her, she had already turned back to face the water. There was a dreamy look on her face. He stood there awkwardly, not sure if he should sit uninvited, afraid of disturbing her from her thoughts. Finally, she made indication of his presence by lightly patting the grass next to her. Obediently, he sat down.

Silence pervaded, but it wasn't entirely uncomfortable. It was like in the old days at Hogwarts, when they would sit together by the lake. They didn't need to say anything to each other because the connection they had was enough for each to understand the other's thoughts. He suddenly felt a hollow pit gnawing at the bottom of his stomach. He missed those days.

He opened his mouth to speak first. "So, how are things with you and Danny? He didn't take my appearance too harshly, did he?"

She didn't respond for the longest time. When she did, it was as soft as the whispering breeze around them. "He broke off the engagement with me."

"What?" whatever he had been expecting, it wasn't this. A million emotions flashed through him, clearly reflected in his eyes. Bewilderment, shock, guilt, sympathy, and finally…it settled on anger. This guy was supposed to take care of Luna, he was supposed to love her. And now..he had just ended up hurting her. If Neville had known things would turn out this way he would never have left her in the stone hut with the git. He would have…pulled her out with him or something. Even thinking this, he knew it wouldn't have been possible. Luna would be upset, no, curious as to why he did that, but she would still want to return to Danny.

"I'm terribly sorry for having caused this to happen between the two of you…but that doesn't mean I'm not angry at him for doing this to you. The git…if I get my hands on him…" Neville gave a menacing almost-growl.

Luna looked him in the eye. "Angry? Why are you angry?"

"Because.." he faltered. Why was he angry? Actually, the question should be..why wasn't Luna angry? "If he really loved you, he wouldn't hurt you this way!"

"Neville". She said gently, placing a pale, cool hand on top of his warm one. "That is the point. If he really loved me, he wouldn't do that. It's better this way. Maybe we weren't meant to be."

Neville stared at her. _Maybe we weren't meant to be_. His heart gave an involuntary leap of victorious joy, before immediately chastising himself. He should be sad for her, not happy for the fact that now there was more hope for things to return to the way it was for the two of them. He cleared his throat. "You want to have some pudding?"

Luna's eyes lit up at the suggestion. "That would be wonderful", allowing herself to be pulled up by Neville before she had even finished her sentence.

Neville, on the other hand, was as ecstatic as a five year old boy presented with ice cream. The least he could do was comfort Luna for the horrible thing he had initiated, and wasn't it true in soap operas that girls always fell for warm guys that healed their broken heart? Grinning to himself, he broke off at a sprint, pulling Luna with him.

Luna had a wonderful time that day. Neville had first brought her to a secluded little dessert shop in a homey little alley. Actually, it couldn't even be labelled a dessert shop…more like a cottage that sold the loveliest tasting pudding she had ever had the fortune to come across. They had gone through a labyrinth of pathways before finding the place, but the sweet aromas surrounding the whole place was oh-so-mouth-watering. Luna glanced at Neville, eyebrows raised.

Neville answered her unasked question. "Inside sources" he said, tapping the side of his nose mischievously before taking her by the hand again and practically dragging her in. His hand felt so warm…she felt so safe and secure with his large hands wrapped around hers. Unlike Danny's, Neville's hands were softer, the skin smoother, like velvet spread across the back of her hand. She was so focused on this feeling that she didn't notice the room around her.

She immediately freed herself from Neville's firm grip. "This is the prettiest place I've ever been in!" she exclaimed, dancing and twirling around the small room with her arms spread wide. Though Neville immediately felt empty when her hand left his, he couldn't stop a small smile from playing in the corners of his lips. This was the Luna he knew and loved. He had researched and found this place, known to provide the best delicacies in the form of pudding, on purpose before travelling here, hoping he would have a chance to bring her here too. The explosion of sun colours, the little peculiar ornaments, shells, feathers draped around the room was quite a sight. He knew she would love it.

Ordering two traditional puddings for which this restaurant was famous for, they sat down opposite each other. Their food came, and they both gladly tucked in. Then, as Neville was scraping his bowl, he accidentally flicked some pudding onto Luna's blouse.

Blushing deep red, he apologized." Oops, sorry! I'm so clumsy all the time! Here..let me…" He lifted a napkin as if to help her clean up a bit but when he raised his head, all that met him was a blob of pudding. Which landed right on his nose.

A tiny chuckle escaped from Luna's lips. "Oi!" He cried, "that was an accident..you…" he threatened playfully, raising his spoon and lumping some of his own pudding towards her.

Luna snorted with laughter and tried to dodge him but he got up and went around the table towards her, tackling her to the floor. Laughing, he smeared the pudding across her cheek. Squinting one eye, he acted as if he was checking her out, before nodding with approval. "Much better." He grinned, and Luna retaliated by shoving her spoonful of pudding into his mouth. Just as he started to tickle her, the shop owner, an old lady, walked in on them on the floor, and saw Luna squirming in Neville's arms. Neville sprang off Luna, turning beet red again, whilst Luna calmly picked herself up and straightened her clothes. Sheepishly, they both got back to their seats and quietly ate their pudding again. Not without sneaking shy smiles at each other, of course.

After devouring the pudding that left them craving for more, Neville paid the old shop owner and without a second word, took up Luna's hand again, pulling her behind him as he left the store. It was such a natural movement for him, as if he had been doing it all his life.

Next, they stopped at an art gallery. It was a mixture of abstract and real life portraits, Chinese and western art all rolled in one. Luna was entranced. She had never been taken to a gallery before, and during all her time in China, she had mainly been exposed to herbs and the work of Nanny. Now she stood in front of these paintings and she felt them calling towards her, telling her to step closer so she could better admire them. She raised a hand and held it parallel to the canvas of a painting featuring the swirls of dusk and dawn, of the sun and moon, as if to touch it, but not quite. Suddenly, she felt a warm breath tickling the back of her neck.

"Would you like to try your hand at painting?" Neville asked her softly. She turned around and found him standing very close to her, so close that her face almost collided with his chest. Bringing her face up, she beamed at him. "That would be lovely! I've never tried it before!"

Neville bit his lip. She had, in fact, loved painting when she was Luna. But of course, she had forgotten all about that. Leading her by the shoulders, he took her into a small room off the side of the main exhibition room, where several blank canvases were placed, as if waiting for their arrival.

"Do you think I'll be good at this, I wonder?" Luna asked Neville dreamily, before settling herself on a stool in front of a canvas. He gave a hum of agreement. She was already working on the paints, mixing the beautiful reds and greens and yellows with the ease of a professional, dabbing and dotting where she found suitable. It was a dance of a sort, and the grace of her movements hypnotized him.

"Would you like to try too?" Luna's voice woke him and he shook his head to clear his fuzzied mind. Backing away, he declined the offer. "No..no thanks. I'm terrible at this sort of thing…"

"Oh, no, I don't think you will be. You should give it a try anyway. I can help you…" she steered him to the stool beside her, with another blank canvas. Bringing her stool behind him, and placed her arms around him holding both his hands and guiding him as he mixed the paints, waving his arms lightly to form strokes of colours across the dull whiteness. They worked as if they were one body instead of two, and Neville felt his inelegance abandon him. "Ta-da!" she finally said.

Staring at the painting, Neville cocked his head, first to the right, then to the left. "Erm..Luna..what is this supposed to be?" His mind had been filled with the feel of her arms around him that he hadn't even noticed what he was painting.

"It's a plimpky!" she said. "It's meant to be a deeper shade of pink but I couldn't find the right color…"

Neville chortled and gave her a hug. "It's lovely all the same. You have talent, you know?"

Luna's face tinged with a blush but she dismissed the compliment with an airy wave of her hand. "Oh, it's just the work of the corkryers. They keep filling my mind with beautiful images that I just have to express with my hands." This time, she took up his hand. "So, where next?"

Neville stared at her hand in his and tried to suppress the fireworks that had gone off in his stomach. Glancing outside, he saw that the sky was already rapidly darkening, and he knew it was time to escort her home. Visibly deflated, he said "I think I'd better get you home..it's getting dark out. Shall we?" He started walking out the way they came in.

Luna's face seemed to lose a bit of its light too, but she knew he was right. She pulled at him to make him stop for a moment. "Thank you…for today." Giving him a small smile, she skipped ahead, pulling him in tow.

That night, Neville couldn't sleep. He kept remembering the way her dainty little hand felt engulfed within his own, the cool, slender fingers entwined with his as they laughed and talked their way through the day. He reminisced the soft suppleness of her body pressed against his as she gently taught him to paint. He missed the feel of her so much. When they were eating the pudding, he had noticed the way she kept licking her lips. Though probably an innocent action on her part, he had felt it to be seductive, and longed to press his lips against hers. He longed to taste her again. It had been too long, too long since she left his side.

Luna felt elated, a warm, happy glow filling her to the very core. She hadn't had so much fun with anyone since..well..since never. Danny, though kind and caring to her, had always been too busy with Nanny's business. Sure, they had been out to eat before, but it had always been harried and never as exciting. They hadn't even been on a proper date before, not like the one she just had with Neville. Yes, she decided. It was a date. And she couldn't wait until the next time they did something like that together again. Something told her that this day was not far off…

Luna. She had just referred to herself as Luna. Well..that is my real name, afterall..she thought sleepily, before drifting into sleep with a smile on her face dreaming of Neville's warm hands and snuggling into his soft embrace.

**Yes, suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I've been reading other fanfics and gawd there are some awesome writers out there. Small recommendation: New Events by LadyLissaLight, a Dramione fic which I stumbled across and found very entertaining in a romantic mushy way (I can't help it, I'm a teenage girl for god's sake! Hopeless romantic and all…). It truly made my heart thud, and break, alongside the two characters, despite some overlooked spelling mistakes, which is what I think is most important about stories. Hopefully my stories are able to achieve the same effect..not that I'm putting much faith in that. Hah! So yeah. Thought you might enjoy it! And she does portray HP characters very well (in my opinion anyway), much better than my Neville and Luna I'm sad to say. One last word, don't hate me for it…review?**

**P.S. To my dearest (previously anonymous) reviewer winwinwindy: I'm so sorry I can't remember if I replied to your last review I think I'm starting to lose my mind or something. Anyway, just in case I hadn't: Thanks for your suggestion and I'm planning to make the next chapter entirely Danny so that would be included. Hopefully. As I said before, this thing has a life of its own I never know where the story is going lols.**

**P.P.S. To anyone still reading my story, thankyou for sticking with me! You guys are the greatest readers an amateur fanfic author can have! Love you x**


	24. Chapter 24

**Yes I'm back from hell and back again. Here in the newest chapter, hope there'll still be readers to actually read this, I'm terribly for the long gap between chapters again :$ and yeah, enjoy!**

**By the way I was just really desperate to put something up here for you guys so this won't necessarily be edited to perfection and it just came out the top of my head so, forgive me for any mistakes, hmm? I promise to go over it and edit it again when I have time.**

**DISCLAIMER: erm..this chapter is mainly Danny as promised so I guess it's all mine? Things from HP belong to the one and only Queen Rowling.**

Danny stood at the entrance of a noisy, crowded pub. What on earth was he doing here? This was not the right place for him; he hardly ever drank alcohol, let alone set foot into a rowdy pub like this. Just as he was about to turn around and leave though, he was caught by the arms by two young women, girls really, who were barely dressed and seemed as if they were drunk already.

"Hey handsome, where do you think you're going?" The one with long, bubble gum pink hair pulled him to her, slurring and stumbling on her high-heels.

"Yeah", the other laid a hand on his chest and starts stroking his abs softly up and down, "come and have a drink with us before you leave!"

Danny squirmed. He really shouldn't be doing this – what would Mia – Luna – think? Trying to push the two females off of him he started to protest, "Ladies, please, I'd rather –"

"Ladies!" the girl with the bubble gum colour hair squealed, "Rose, it seems as if we've caught ourselves a right gentleman here!" Cackling with laughter, the two of them grabbed him each by an arm and dragged him into the noisy pub. _Oh well_, he thought, _I need something to make me forget all the pain of the last few days. Might as well go in and have some fun whilst I'm at it._

As he was steered into a seat at the bar counter, the bar tender turned to the trio to take their order. Without hesitating, bubble gum hair said "get him the strongest drink you have..hm…how about your famous 'Broken Heart'?", pointing at Danny. "Three Broken Hearts if you will." The bar tender nodded and bustled off to prepare their drinks.

_3 hours later…_

"…I'm telling you…" Danny slurred, slumped in couch and waving his finger in no particular direction, "…nothing hurts worst, NOTHING hurts worse than seeing your own fiancée being snatched away by her handsome ex-boyfriend…nothing…nothing…" His voice died out.

"..I know right!" Bubble gum hair slapped him across the shoulder, jabbing her drink in the air too. "…I caught my boyfriend cheating on me last week…I l-" she choked, taking a swig of her drink to clear her throat, "-loved him so damn much but he just pushed me away like trash!" She broke into sobs, burying her face into Danny's shoulder and clenching his shirt in her fists. "Why? Why do they treat us like this? Why do fairytales lie about happily ever afters when there is no such thing? Why…why…"

"Now, now", Danny clumsily patted her hair. "Here, let's wash our sorrows away with this drink! Drink…drink for independence! We don't need those bastards! Cheers!" He clinked his glass against hers. Halfway through chugging down his drink, he lowered his glass and asked, "hey..where's your friend…?"

Bubble gum hair laughed. "Friend? What friend? Oh.. right, Rose..she fell asleep already…" giving a small noise of content, she took another long gulp of her drink before snuggling deeper into his shoulder. "Hmm..sleep…" she mumbled..falling into a sleepy stupor herself.

Danny sat with his arm around bubble gum hair (he still didn't know her name). Taking a long swig of his 'Broken Heart' and laughing at the irony of the name, he found himself thinking of just how much he wished the girl in his arms right now was Mia. No, Luna. Her name was Luna. Mia has disappeared now, and only Luna is left behind. He should get used to calling her that…Luna. Luna. Luna.

Luna. His heart broke at the thought of the girl of his dreams. Because she would only ever be that, the girl of his dreams, not the girl in his arms, in reality. She was Neville's, and he was so, so alone. He pictured her then, dressed up fancily. The only time he had actually seen her dress up was that November 11th, a million years ago, when he chose that day to be her birthday and gave her the purple dress that Nanny mended. She was so beautiful, the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. She actually seemed to glow when she smiled, and his breath caught in his throat just imagining her face.

But of course, he laughed bitterly to himself. That dress that meant so much to him actually meant more to Neville. It was originally Neville's present to her, anyway. He closed his eyes, and in his mind, the image of the party scene from Luna's memories floated before him. There she stood, eating pudding, smiling and laughing and chattering away with Neville. There she was, dancing with him, laying her head on his chest, smiling, smiling even when Neville had clumsily stepped on her toes as they danced. She looked so happy, so content, so fulfilled, this Luna of the past that he had never met. Had he ever even seen her smile so happily? Had he ever been able to give her reason to? Emptiness crept into his heart with these dark thoughts.

He was doing the right thing, leaving her. She and Neville were meant to be together anyway. The woman he loved was Mia, but Mia had long since faded away, and he hadn't even noticed her absence until it was too late. Now there was only Luna, Neville's Luna. A drop of tear streaked down his face, tracing a path along its way. She didn't deserve this, the way he had treated her. She didn't ask to be torn away from her love, to have been tortured to the point where she lost all her memories, and then have him walk out on her, breaking their engagement in such a brutal manner. Now, all that he could do to make it up to her was to leave her. Completely. With the thought of leaving the country and Luna behind set resolutely in his mind, he sunk into his drunken sleep.

**Not my best, hopefully romantic and broken-hearted enough for you guys though. Short, but this is just from Danny's point of view. There will be a skip in years in the next chapter, I've already written it out in a sudden spark of inspiration at 2:00 am this morning so hopefully I'll be able to upload that soon too. Thank you for reading! x**


	25. Chapter 25

**As promised, here is chapter 25! Astonishing isn't it, having two chapter uploads from me within a week...I haven't had the time to do that in ages :D Thank you Alix Jackson for your…erm..devotion? to this crappy story of mines it feels great every time I upload a new chapter after disappearing for ages and then seeing your awesome reviews! So…here you go :)**

**DISCLAIMER: anything you recognize from HP is not mine.**

**Note: I notice that some people seem to skip past chapter 24 and going directly here maybe 'cause you think there is only one new chapter but yeah, here's just a note to tell you that CHAPTER 24 IS NEW! Just so you don't read this one and get all confused about what's going on :D**

Neville ended up spending years in China, quietly protecting Luna, for he knew that the danger brought on by her mother's notebook was yet to be over, especially since Luna was gradually regaining her memory. Danny had not returned home to Luna ever since that day he broke off his engagement with her and stomped off into the night and since he felt it was partially his fault, well really, entirely his fault, Neville took it on himself to stay by Luna's side every day. He passed his days by offering his knowledge of plants to the citizens, helping cure them of ailments. He earned himself a title as a wondrous local healer, second only to Nanny.

It was raining hard and fast on this particularly dark night. Neville could barely hear the things the funny little moving people on this thing called a 'telly' were saying. Suddenly, he heard someone knocking on the door. Opening it, he squinted to see through the pouring rain. At first, it seemed as if no one was there, but just as he was about to close the door again, he heard a tiny voice pleading, "please sir, please help my mother!" Right at that moment a flash of lightning streaked through the sky, momentarily lighting up his doorstep.

A young girl of no more than 5 years of age stood there, dripping wet and looking utterly miserable. Her hands were clutching a tattered old teddy bear, which too was drenched to its core. Water, whether from the rain or from tears, was streaming down her face as she looked up at Neville's face. "Please sir," she said again, "please help my mother!"

Neville just stood there stunned. Snapping back to his senses, he quickly ushered the little girl into the house, frantically drying her clothes and hair, giving her a hot drink to chase away the bitter cold of the night.

Half an hour later, he had the little girl in his bed, snuggled up under three thick blankets, as he sat at the side watching her peaceful, sleeping face. In that half an hour, he had learned that the little girl was called Ah Fa. Her mother had apparently contracted a terminal disease and no one else they had approached had been able to cure her. Her father had died years ago, and she and her mother had been living by themselves ever since. Seeing such a helpless little girl risking her own life for the sake of her mother touched a deep, deep region within Neville's heart, and there was no way in hell he would let that woman die. In her, he saw himself. That fear that penetrates a young heart when they find out that their parents are beyond their help is something that no one can easily forget. His own parents had sunk into insanity when he was just a little boy, and he too had been so helpless to help them. Thank god he had a grandmother to take care of him though. This girl, she had no one. But Neville decided that from now on, she would have him to lean on.

The next day, Ah Fa took Neville by the hand and ran off to bring him to see her mother. The moment mother and daughter laid eyes on each other, both burst into tears. Ah Fa ran to her mother's bedside and threw her arms around her. "Ma!" she cried, "I've brought the healer to see you"

"Oh Ah Fa, my baby. Why did you run off last night, in the middle of the storm? Do you know how worried I was? Don't ev-" Ah Fa's mother broke off into a coughing fit. She brought a handkerchief up to her mouth and came away with blood. Her whole body racked with each cough and soon her whole face was white, shining with cold sweat. Her eyes rolled and she was slipping away…all that could be heard was the young girls frantic cries of "Ma! Ma!" as she desperately shook her mother back into consciousness.

Neville was seated at the small table, and around him were Nanny and Luna. He started to explain his condition, "…my examination of the lady has confirmed that she has a unique mutation of something similar to that of lung cancer. Something cancerous in nature is eating away at her insides and it's nothing I've ever seen before. I wondered if you could tell me of any herbs or medicinal plants that could cure such an ailment," at this, he looked directly at Nanny, "as you have more experience than I do. I've never seen such a disease before. The woman is mother of a 5 year old daughter; I'm determined not to let her become an orphan at such a young age."

There was a long silence after his words. Everyone around the table seemed deep in thought. Finally, Nanny spoke up. "This is a very special type of disease, I've heard of it before; it is known amongst us healers as 'Si Shen' as it is deadly and almost impossible to cure. There is only one known herb that can cure this disease and it is very, very rare. It's called –"

"'Zhen Xin Xiang Ai'." It was Luna that finished her sentence. Everyone stared at her. Ignoring them she continued. "Nanny is right, this herb is the only thing that will work now. It is a curious herb that is astonishingly difficult to nurture correctly, but it has many almost magical-like properties too. One of them being an intense infatuation experienced by anyone who inhales its scent when grinded – earning it its name, 'True Love'."

"How did you-" began Neville

"Oh, I don't know. It just popped into my head. Probably something I learnt from my mother…there was a time when she was obsessed with all sorts of rare Chinese herbs; they are great for concocting healing potions you know."

Nanny nodded in agreement to what she just said. "Yes, that is correct, what Mia has just told us about 'Zhen Xin Xiang Ai'. I must warn you though, it is immensely difficult to procure, almost impossible, in fact."

"Almost?" asked Neville.

The tiniest hint of a smile flickered across Nanny's face. "Indeed, almost. There have been rumors, though, that one man is known to grow 'Zhen Xin Xiang Ai', but he is a mysterious fellow and will not easily give up such a precious and valuable herb."

"It doesn't matter," Neville said decisively, "I will still try my very best to do obtain it."

"Well, then, here are the directions to find him. I suggest you bring Luna along with you too."

"What?" sputtered Neville. "But…this visit will probably be dangerous, I don't want to expose her to death eaters with only me by her side because whilst I have the means to protect her (Luna knew he was referring to his magic), it is not strong enough…she would be safer in this stone hut! No. She will not come with me."

'Death eaters' was not an unfamiliar term to Nanny and Luna any more as Neville had explained everything to the two of them, with some help from Luna who provided any details of her kidnappers that she could remember. They too, knew of his magic but living in a non-magical society, he rarely used it in front of them to protect his own identity from prying eyes. However, he had secretly cast strong shield and other protective charms over the small stone hut and he was determined that if he were to leave on this journey, Luna was to stay behind these safe walls.

"No buts. Trust me, Neville, you will need her. And unless she says no, you should let her go."

Neville stared into Luna's eyes, wishing with all his heart that she could hear him beg her to stay. Luna understood the pain he would feel if she were to leave, but she was not one to let a person die if it were within her ability to save them.

"Neville..I have to go with you."

Neville hung his head. He knew this would be her answer, yet all the same, he couldn't help but feel disappointed. He couldn't help but feel as if she did not respect his wishes, and didn't understand how much he wished she could keep herself safe, for his sake.

"This should be it." Double checking the address written on the scrap of paper that Nanny had given him, Neville glanced at the battered wooden door before him again.

Luna smiled at him, "Yes, this is the right place, I can feel it's aura. Someone very special lives here."

Hearing this, Neville knocked on the door. "Hello? Is anyone here?" After several moments of pounding, the door finally creaked open. A wizened old man wearing a purple robe stood there, looking at the two of them.

"Are you…Mr Kai?"

"Yes." Mr Kai raised an eyebrow. "How may I help you?"

"We heard that you are in possession of Zhen Xin Xiang Ai. A friend of ours has contracted a rare terminal disease, only this herb can cure her. We hoped that you could – "

The man held up a hand to stop Neville mid-sentence. "Yes, I do have this herb, but I'm afraid I can't help you."

With that, he slammed the door in their face. Neville pounded the door again. "Mr. Kai! Mr. Kai! Please! You are our last hope! Mr. Kai!"

Luna placed a hand on his. "Here, let me."

"Mr. Kai. I know that Zhen Xin Xiang Ai is a very valuable herb, and I have heard of it's rumored properties of love; beautiful yet deadly properties that I have yet to witness myself. It could save this woman's life. If there is anything, anything at all that we can do to procure it from you, please tell us." She abruptly turned around and sat on the doorstep.

Neville just stared at her. She patted the ground next to her. "You'd better sit down. This will probably take an hour and seventeen minutes to accomplish."

"But – how...?"

"Trust me."

Of course, one hour and seventeen minutes later, their reply came on the dot. "Come to the Old Man's Pub at 7:00 tonight."

At 7:00, Luna and Neville entered that Old Man's Pub. Surprisingly, the pub was very full, and all of the customers seemed to be young couples out for a romantic night. Luna took Neville's hand. "Come on, let's find a seat."

They ended up pushing their way to the front of the bar, finally finding an empty table right before the center of a large platform. Just as they took their seats, the whole room darkened as a bright spotlight focused on an area on the stage. A man walked out, wearing a smart navy suit, holding a mic.

"Look!" Luna patted Neville's arm, "Its Mr. Kai!"

His voice started to resound out of the loudspeakers around the pub. "Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome to Old Man's Pub! I wish all of you loving couples the happiest of relationships!" A round of applause erupted through the room. Clearly, Mr. Kai was very popular among them, and this pub seemed exclusively for couples.

"Now, let's get to business!" Mr. Kai beamed at everyone. "Today, we have a very special program planned! Coincidentally, I received a request for a very rare and valuable herb called Zhen Xin Xiang Ai. These people greatly hope to obtain this herb, and so today, I am offering it as a prize for whichever couple wins the following game. With it, any couple can ensure that they will continue to maintain a happy and loving relationship for the rest of their lives."

With a flourish, he brought out the herb. It was shaped like a rose, yet it was a dazzling bright purple, and seemed to emit a warm glow. In that instant, the whole room was filled with a softness that shone upon each and every face, making everyone look beautiful in a surreal, godlike way.

"Yes, impressive, isn't it? To win it, you simply have to prove to me that you and your lover are indeed each other's 'true love', the one and only, to be able to truly deserve such a precious herb. Let's hope that the people that approached me today for it would take the initiative to acquire it." He sought the crowd and gave Luna and Neville a meaningful look.

"Any volunteers?"

The whole room fell silent, each person looking at another, seeing who would be brave enough to think that they deserved 'true love'. Just as the whole room's tension seemed to reach a breaking point, Luna stood up. "Let's do this, Neville."

"I – I – " He faltered. "But Luna, true love? You love Danny now, not me…"

"It's okay. We'll win it. We have to. For Ah Fa."

"Well, look what we have here! Aren't they just the perfect looking couple?" Mr. Kai joyfully exclaimed to the whole room. "Let's see if they truly _are_ the perfect couple by passing this test."

"Now, now, no need to be nervous", he said, seeing Neville tightly clenching Luna's hand. "Neville and Luna, right?" (But how? Neville thought. They had never told him their names) Well, we just want to see how well you know each other. I'm going to ask a few questions, and if you can both give the same answer each time, you will win Zhen Xin Xiang Ai."

**A little cliffie here again, just to (hopefully) keep you guys hooked into this story. Maybe. Anyway, something a little more romantic coming this way in the next chapter, which means more Nuna of course! x**


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